120 MW Solar Power Plant Planned For UAE

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Utico Middle East, a solar developer currently working to develop a 40 MW solar power plant in the United Arab Emirates, recently made the surprise announcement that the project will/could be tripled in size if the plant can be connected to the UAE electric grid. The company is currently in talks with the proper authorities to secure such a situation.

Interestingly, the solar plant — whether it ends up possessing a capacity of 120 MW or of 40 MW — will be providing power to a nearby desalination plant, located in the emirate of Ras al Khaimah. This is an interesting, and often discussed combination of technologies, and one that we will likely see more and more in the region in the coming years.

Image Credit: Ras al Khaimah via Flickr CCImage Credit: Ras al Khaimah via Flickr CC


PV Magazine provides more:

Utico Middle East has launched a pre-qual process for a 40 MW solar plant it wants to develop in its home emirate of Ras al Khaimah. United Arab Emirates-based private utility Utico Middle East has said the 40 MW solar project it wants to develop in its home emirate of Ras al Khaimah could be expanded to 120 MW if talks to connect it to the UAE national grid prove successful.

A report yesterday on the Arabian Business website said Utico was in talks to secure connection to the grid which would permit the project – for which Utico is calling for pre-qualification enquiries – to be tripled in size. The 40 MW plant, which will connect to Utico’s private grid, will also provide power for the 100,000m3/day desalination plant nearby for which Utico ran a pre-qual process which attracted more than 20 applicants.

In the article in the Arabian Business report, Richard Menezes, Utico’s executive vice chairman, also made it clear that, in his opinion, the UAE government should do more to back solar developers — specifically, by granting them easier access to the national electric grid.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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