The UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah has pre-qualified 20 companies, out of over 80 applications, for its first aggregated solar tender, a government official said Dec. 8.
"The 20 companies have been asked to provide proposals for frame conditions," Andrea Di Gregorio, executive director of the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office in Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, said in an email. "After proposal evaluation, the frame conditions of selected bidders will be applied by each participating customer entity to individual projects. The expectation is for up to 15 MW of solar PV capacity expected to be largely contracted in 2021 for generation to start from 2022."
RAK Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040 targets 30% energy savings, 20% water savings and 20% generation from renewable energy sources by 2040.
The UAE's largest gas-fired power plant, dubbed Fujairah F3 and expected to start operations in 2022, will provide backup power to the Ras Al Khaimah Solar PV aggregate tender, according to Mitsubishi Power, which is building three gas turbine generators for Fujairah F3.
Natural gas currently accounts for more than 95% of UAE power generation, with Middle East power demand growing 2.5% annually for 2020-2025 against a global pace of 2.3%, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.
