CESI wins Dubai renewable energy consultancy contract

06 May 2014

Local branch of Italian firm will advise on connecting renewable energy schemes to grid

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has appointed the Italian/local CESI Middle East to provide consultancy services for the contract to connect renewable energy generators to the utility provider’s grid.

The main objectives of the project are to assist Dewa with launching its distributed renewable connection programme and further stabilising Dubai’s energy supply.

The scheme is part of the emirate’s plans to achieve a target of producing 5 per cent of power by renewable energy sources by 2030.

Under the contract, CESI will provide consultancy services on various components of grid management and distributed renewable connectivity to solar energy from Dewa’s distribution grid. The firm will also create an in-house body to manage the interaction of Dubai’s grid with the renewable energy projects.

In April, Dewa invited companies to submit expressions of interest (EOIs) in the contract to develop the 100MW second phase of its Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park. MEED recently reported that the Netherlands’ KPMG has been appointed financial adviser and the UK’s Norton Rose Fulbright selected as legal adviser for the planned solar scheme, which will utilise photovoltaic (PV) technology. The 100MW solar project is scheduled to be fully operational in 2017.

In October last year, the first 13MW phase of the solar park began commercial operations.

Dewa is also planning to make Dubai a smart city through a a few key initiatives, which include encouraging citizens and businesses to install PV solar panels on roofs to produce electricity.

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