UAE plans second phase of wind project

Masdar will negotiate with wind turbine manufacturers to set up operations in the country

Wind turbines on Sir Bani Yas island. Photo: Masdar

The UAE plans to significantly ramp up capacity as part of a potential second phase of its wind energy project, which will be "commercially driven", according to a top executive at Masdar.

Abu Dhabi will follow the independent power project (IPP) model based on offtake agreements and Masdar hopes to put together an international consortium to take the project forward, Mohammad El Ramahi, chief green hydrogen officer at the renewable energy company told The National.

“The winning consortium with the lowest levelised cost of electricity will enter into a special purpose vehicle (SPV), with the shareholding represented by the economic interests of the respective shareholders,” he said.

The UAE announced the launch of its first wind programme on Thursday as it intensifies efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and diversify its energy mix.

Masdar has developed a 103.5-megawatt landmark wind project in four locations, which includes a 45-megawatt wind farm on Sir Bani Yas Island.

“Wind profile works longer durations of the day … this will help us mitigate the peak hours and improve our renewable and clean energy availability throughout the day,” Mr El Ramahi said.

“It [the project] proves that with the help of technology, we can always stretch ... beyond just solar PV [photovoltaic] within our region,” he added.

The UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy, has been investing heavily in renewable energy projects to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century.

The UAE, host of the Cop28 climate conference beginning in November, approved an updated version of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and the development of the National Hydrogen Strategy in July.

As part of the plan, the UAE plans to invest up to Dh200 billion ($54 billion) by 2030 to ensure energy demand is met while sustaining economic growth.

Mr El Ramahi expects concerned stakeholders to follow the outcome of the wind programme until the end of the year and potentially revise the emirate’s energy mix strategy.

Masdar will also seek to bring wind equipment manufacturing to the UAE.

The company will negotiate with manufacturers of the “newest generation” of low wind turbines to establish operations in the country, Mr El Ramahi said.

Bringing Chinese, European, and American manufacturers to the UAE will help bring costs down and make the technology more scalable and cost competitive, he added.

Masdar is active in more than 40 countries and has invested in or committed investments to projects worth more than $30 billion.

The company aims to grow its capacity to at least 100 gigawatts of renewable energy by the end of the decade.

Editor's note: Masdar has withdrawn the figures provided on the capacity increase