France’s EDF Renewables, Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and the Emirati renewable developer Masdar have started construction on their 1.5 GW Al Ajban solar PV project, located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The partners had previously achieved financial close on the project in September 2024.
The Al Ajban solar park is developed by Masdar (60%), EDF Renewables and KOWEPO (20% each). It will be built about 70 km northeast of Abu Dhabi and is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2026. It should generate enough power to meet the demand of about 160,000 Emirati households. The entire output will be procured by the UAE utility EWEC under a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
EWEC aims to produce nearly 50% of its electricity from renewable and clean energy sources by 2030. The United Arab Emirates’ total installed capacity was 42 GW (end of 2023) and is dominated by gas (77%), followed by nuclear (10%), solar (7%), and coal (6%).