Emirates Water and Electricity Co. (EWEC), based in Abu Dhabi, has recommended a 606% increase in its solar power generation capacity by 2030 to align with the United Arab Emirates’s goal of achieving net-zero by 2050.
In its Future Capacity Requirements report, EWEC stated that it plans to increase its total solar power generation capacity to 7.3 gigawatts, as well as develop 300 megawatts of Battery Energy Storage Systems. The report also predicts the need for an additional 3 GW of solar power capacity by 2029, in addition to the 1.5 GW procured from the Al Ajban Solar PV Project once it becomes operational in 2026.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy has approved the recommendations, which also involve continued investment in low-carbon intensive reverse osmosis water desalination technology to meet over 90 percent of the total water demand using RO by 2030.
The implementation of these renewable and clean energy projects will reduce the company’s average carbon dioxide intensity from electricity generation from 0.33kg per kilowatt-hour in 2019 to an estimated 0.19kg/kWh by 2029.
