Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) has received approval to develop four new renewable energy sites in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The four sites, covering an area of around 75km2, will accommodate solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy projects.
This includes three solar PV plants in Al Faya, Al Khazna, and Al Zarraf, along with a wind farm in Sila. The projects will contribute 4.5GW (AC) of solar PV capacity and up to 140MW of wind capacity.
The solar PV developments are crucial for EWEC's goal to achieve 10GW of installed solar PV capacity by 2030 and 18GW by 2035. This initiative is a key step towards meeting Abu Dhabi's strategic clean energy targets.
The identification and securing of these sites were made possible through EWEC's collaboration with various partners.
These partners are Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
EWEC CEO Othman Al Ali said: “This is a significant milestone in EWEC's strategic decarbonisation of the UAE’s energy sector. This land will facilitate the accelerated commissioning and development of world-leading renewable projects as we actively contribute to the realisation of the country’s sustainability objectives by supplying 60% of Abu Dhabi’s power demand from renewable and clean energy sources.
“At EWEC, we continue to collaborate with our partners across the energy and sustainability ecosystem to drive the development and deployment of utility-scale renewable and clean energy projects. We are proud of our leading role in the UAE’s energy transition, and our unique positioning enables us to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies that set a global template in reaching a carbon-neutral future that benefits both the economy and the environment.”
This year, EWEC has reached several milestones in renewable energy development.
The company reached financial close on the 1.5GW (AC) Al Ajban Solar PV Independent Power Project.
In 2024, it also received three competitive proposals for the 1.5GW Khazna Solar PV project, and sought expressions of interest for the 1.5GW Zarraf Solar PV Independent Power Project.
Abu Dhabi will host five of the world's largest single-site solar power plants after these facilities start operations.
