'No one-off': Masdar in talks over more vast 24/7 'baseload' green power plants
UAE developer claims project to provide reliable gigascale energy can be replicated elsewhere and serve data centre market
The project requires the type of first-rate renewable resource found in Middle East solar and the space to site the huge quantities of equipment required – the Abu Dhabi project will cover 90 square km.
“When we decided to do the project we always thought about it as the first but not the last of its kind,” he said.
“We’ve seen a lot of demand… to understand how it can be applied in different markets.
“We are already in discussions with different potential clients to see whether a similar project can be deployed based on their needs.”
Alobaidli added: “We now have to deliver this project on time, on schedule and on budget.”
UAE-based Masdar claims the performance and cost effectiveness of the Abu Dhabi project, being advanced with local utility EWEC, can help establish renewable energy’s credentials as a reliable, rather than inherently intermittent, supplier to power-hungry industrial users.
“We believe [the model planned in Aubu Dhabi] is the right fit for data centres, hyperscalers [very large data centres], and other industries who require reliable 24/7 electricity supply,” Alobaidli said.
“It does require certain conditions. You need a source of energy that’s available at competitive cost… solar or wind or other technology.
[Over the last years we’ve become] “more confident on reliability of battery storage solutions and the ability to procure at competitive pricing.
“I’m pretty sure we have the ability to replicate such a project whether here in the UAE or other markets.
“Every project has to be assessed on circumstances and that it’s economically feasible.”
Solar PV generation in the region has in recent years been offered in auctions at ultra-cheap prices as low as $10/MWh.
Masdar picked Chinese suppliers to supply the key technology for the project – JA Solar and Jinko Solar for the PV and CATL for the battery storage – but Alobaidli said the award had been made after a competitive process open to Western suppliers.
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