Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy leader, announced preferred suppliers and contractors to support the development of the world’s first large-scale ‘round the clock’ gigascale project, which will combine solar photovoltaic (PV) power and battery storage to deliver uninterrupted renewable energy.
JA Solar and Jinko Solar, two of the world’s largest PV module suppliers, and CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer and a leading battery energy storage system (BESS) supplier, are preferred suppliers for the project, Masdar recently announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). Larsen & Toubro and POWERCHINA have been selected as preferred Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors for the project, which will be built in Abu Dhabi.
Letters of Award for the EPC contractors were signed in a special ceremony at the Masdar Pavilion at ADSW, with Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Chief Operating Officer, Masdar, signing both. Yu Feng, President of HDEC International, signed for POWERCHINA, with Gao Fei, Vice President of POWERCHINA MENA Headquarter, witnessing. The Letter of Award for Larsen & Toubro was signed by A. Ravindran, Senior Vice President & Head – Renewables IC, with T. Madhavadas, Whole Time Director & Sr. Executive Vice President (Utilities), witnessing.
Masdar, in collaboration with EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), announced at ADSW that it is developing the gigascale project, capable of delivering up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of baseload power 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The project will feature a 5.2GW (DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS, making it the largest solar and BESS project in the world.
Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Chief Operating Officer, Masdar, said: “The record-breaking project we are developing with EWEC is a giant step forward in the clean energy transformation, overcoming the intermittency challenges of renewables and enabling the dispatch of clean energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As Masdar’s largest and most ambitious project to date, we made sure we are working with the best possible partners that will deliver to the highest standards. I look forward to working with these preferred suppliers in setting a new global benchmark in clean energy innovation.”
Jinko Solar and JA Solar are preferred suppliers for PV modules amounting to 2.6GW capacity each, with both companies utilizing the latest TopCon technology with optimized parameters for maximum efficiency and production for 30 years.
CATL, as preferred supplier for the BESS, would supply its leading TENER technology for the total capacity of 19GWh, which features all-round safety, a long service life, and a high level of integration, ensuring the reliable, stable operation and high efficiency of the entire project lifetime.
The solar PV and BESS facility will provide unparalleled stability and efficiency by overcoming the intermittency of renewable energy. The 19GWh battery storage facility will enable seamless integration of solar power into the grid. This initiative also supports the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, and the facility will play a transformative role in energy systems, ensuring the UAE continues to lead by example in delivering towards the historic UAE Consensus agreed at COP28.
Since its establishment in 2006, Masdar has been a key enabler of the UAE’s vision as a global leader in sustainability and climate action. The company has developed and partnered in projects in over 40 countries, with a mandate to increase its renewable energy portfolio capacity to 100GW by 2030 and to become a leading producer of green hydrogen by the same year.
