By Staff Reporter
Dubai: The Abu Dhabi utility company Taqa has been roped in for UAE’s ambitious energy infrastructure projects.
Taqa thus enters a 24-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with EWEC to build, own, and operate the 1GW Al Dhafra Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) project. (EWEC is Emirates Water and Electricity Co., which is responsible for the planning, purchasing and supply of utility services across the UAE.)
With 100% ownership, Taqa will handle the operation and maintenance of the Al Dhafra plant.
In addition, TAQA Transmission, a subsidiary, will develop an ‘advanced power grid infrastructure to integrate the additional generation capacity to new sources of energy demand, enabling access to reliable power with a low carbon footprint’.
These projects support the recently-announced EWEC and Masdar ‘world-first project’ that will enable renewable energy to be dispatched 24×7, and ‘reaffirming the UAE’s position as a global pioneer in renewable energy deployment and low-carbon infrastructure’.
Delivering up to 1GW of base-load power every day generated from renewable energy, this will be the largest combined solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) in the world.
“Through our expertise in power generation and transmission – and as the largest shareholder in Masdar – Taqa plays a central role in advancing clean energy solutions in the UAE,” said Jasim Thabet, Group CEO and Managing Director of TAQA and Vice-Chairman of Masdar.
“We remain committed to ensuring reliable, low-carbon power at all times.”
A Dh36b investment
The three-way collaboration will lead to investments of around Dh36 billion in energy supply infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. Of this, around 75% is to be invested in renewable and conventional power generation.
