EXCLUSIVE: Dubai shortlists two bidders for solar advisory role

11 October 2018
Two international firms are competing for advisory role on emirate's next solar IPP

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has shortlisted the two lowest bidders participating in the tender for the consultancy role on the fifth phase of the emirate’s Mohammed bin Rashid (MBR) solar park.

According to sources close to the project, UK-based EY and US/Indian Synergy Consulting have been shortlisted, and the client will select the winner in the next few weeks.

MEED reported in August that four firms had submitted bids for the lead advisory role on the planned photovoltaic (PV) solar project, which is expected to have a capacity of 200MW-300MW. EY submitted the lowest price of AED5.5m ($1.36m), which was slightly lower than the AED5.86m proposal submitted by Synergy Consulting.

Earlier this year, Dewa commissioned the first 200MW of the 800MW third phase of the MBR solar park.  The completion of the 200MW project brought total operational solar capacity in the emirate to 413MW, accounting for 4 per cent of total generation capacity.

The 13MW first phase, built under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, of the MBR park came online in October 2013. The 200MW second phase was commissioned in March 2017. The second phase, together with all subsequent phases, is being developed under the IPP model.

The next 200MW of the third phase is due to come online in 2019, with the third phase scheduled for completion in 2020.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the 700MW fourth phase of the MBR park – which will be the solar farm’s first concentrated solar power (CSP) installation – took place in March this year.

Dubai has set a target for clean energy to contribute 25 per cent of its total energy supply by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050.

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