2023-11-23 15:35:09
The UAE will add more solar power plants and battery storage sites in the oil-rich country’s biggest-ever effort to produce electricity from renewable energy.
The country has faced criticism for plans to increase oil production for export while working domestically to create cleaner energy sources for its power plants.
The country’s capital, Abu Dhabi, plans to have 16 gigawatts of green generating capacity by 2035, roughly double the current level, Othman Al Ali, CEO of Emirates Water and Electricity Co., said in an interview. The company expects energy demand to increase 5% annually for the rest of this decade, he said.
Abu Dhabi last week opened a 2-gigawatt solar plant in Dhafra, in the desert outside the city. This was the Emirate’s second major solar project and EWEC is in the bidding process to build two more facilities with a capacity of 1.5 gigawatts each. Two other projects of similar size are also being planned.
Abu Dhabi will also add 400 megawatts of battery storage that will allow it to obtain clean energy 24 hours a day, Al Ali said. EWEC is responsible for planning and supplying energy for the emirate of Abu Dhabi and four smaller emirates in the country.
The UAE, the first Gulf state to declare a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, hosts the UN’s COP28 climate conference, which begins later this month.
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