AD Ports' Kezad Group and TotalEnergies to explore solar power generation

The collaboration will conduct a series of feasibility studies

The share of renewable energy in the UAE’s power generation mix is set to increase from 7 per cent in 2020 to 21 per cent in 2030, and to 44 per cent by 2050. Photo: Masdar

Kezad Group, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group, has signed an agreement with French energy company TotalEnergies to explore solar power generation in its economic zones.

Under the deal, the companies will conduct a series of feasibility studies for distributed solar generation at Kezad covering economic, commercial, regulatory and technical aspects, AD Ports said in a statement on Monday.

The deal was signed with TotalEnergies' Renewables Distributed Generation, which develops and operates solar installations for industrial and commercial clients.

“We are keen to realise the complete potential of distributed solar generation across our integrated ecosystem at Kezad Group, and to enhance the value proposition we can offer to our investors while supporting Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s sustainability goals,” Mohamed Al Ahmed, chief executive of Kezad Group, said.

AD Ports, the operator of industrial cities and free zones in Abu Dhabi, launched Kezad Group in September to consolidate and grow its Economic Cities & Free Zones offering, as it seeks to strengthen the emirate's position as an industrial and manufacturing hub.

The company's Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) and ZonesCorp (specialised economic zones) have been integrated into the newly formed Kezad Group (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi Group), which comprises 12 economic zones with a total area of 550 square kilometres, including 100 sq km designated as free zones.

The UAE is pursuing goals to reduce its carbon footprint and became the first country in the Middle East to set a net-zero target last year. The Emirates aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and plans to invest $160 billion on clean and renewable energy sources over the next three decades.

It is building the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai with a five-gigawatt capacity. Abu Dhabi, which is developing a two-gigawatt solar plant in its Al Dhafra region, has set a target of 5.6 gigawatts of solar PV capacity by 2026.

“This agreement is a stepping stone for many future opportunities,” said Hamady Sy, managing director of TotalEnergies Renewables Distributed Generation Middle East and Africa.

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  An aerial view of Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai in January 2022. Solar is essential to the UAE's new energy mix. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

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  The fifth phase of a clean energy project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park will further help reduce carbon emissions.

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  An aerial view of the Solar Park in the Dubai desert.

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  Marco Garcia, chief commercial officer of Nextracker, a US company which has provided photovoltaic technology used in the project.

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  The Innovation Centre at the MBR Solar Park in Dubai, where machine learning is being utilised to track direct sunlight to maximise efficient energy capture, storage and transmission.

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  The solar powered panels follow the path of the sun to help the emirate reach its clean energy transition goals.

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  Omar Al Hassan, chief executive of Shuaa Energy 3, the company operating the scheme, says the vast project will ultimately create clean energy to power more than 250,000 houses in Dubai.

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  Robotic cleaning systems are installed on the solar panels.

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  More than 2.5 million photovoltaic modules have been fitted during phase 5 of the project.

The UAE has also been investing heavily in renewable energy projects in other markets.

Last week, Abu Dhabi’s clean energy company Masdar signed a preliminary agreement with Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to develop renewable energy projects in the kingdom, strengthening its commitment to sustainability and decarbonisation.

The two entities will explore investment in renewable energy projects in Jordan with a production capacity of up to two gigawatts.

Masdar has more than $20bn of investments globally and is rapidly expanding its renewables portfolio as countries focus on cutting emissions to limit global warming.

This year, the company signed a number of new agreements to explore and develop renewable energy and green hydrogen projects after increasing its global clean energy portfolio capacity by 40 per cent in 2021.

Dubai-based AMEA Power signed a framework agreement with Egypt last week to develop a 1,000-megawatt green hydrogen project for the production of green ammonia.

The project, to be located in Egypt’s Suez Governorate, will have a capacity to produce 800,000 tonnes of green ammonia a year for domestic use and export.