Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) have signed an agreement under which DEWA will supply EGA’s aluminium smelter with solar power.
DEWA will supply EGA’s smelter with 560,000 megawatt hours of solar power annually from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, sufficient to make 40,000 tonnes of aluminium in the first year with the potential for significant expansion.
EGA’s sourcing of solar power from Dubai’s electricity grid will be tracked and traced through the use of the International Renewable Energy Certification System, ensuring that the energy used to produce EGA’s CelestiAL solar aluminium has been sourced from the sun.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, located in Dubai, has a current installed capacity of 1013MW.
DEWA is implementing an additional 1850MW using solar PV and also concentrated solar power technology, towards a total capacity of 5000MW by 2030.
EGA will supply solar aluminium to global customers under the new product name CelestiAL.
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA and vice chairman of EGA, said: “This global achievement of both DEWA and EGA confirms our firm commitment to achieving the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in building a green economy in UAE, and achieving the goals of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 in diversifying energy sources and providing 75% of Dubai’s energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
“To achieve these goals, we have launched many initiatives and projects, most notably the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world with a capacity of 5000MW by 2030.
“The solar park projects use photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar energy technologies.”
EGA CEOO Abdul Nasser bin Kalban said: “Aluminium is a lightweight, strong and infinitely recyclable metal and these properties mean that as a material it plays a vital global role in the development of a sustainable future. However, it also matters how sustainably aluminium is made.
“CelestiAL aluminium made in the UAE with solar power, will support modern life for people around the world while also protecting our planet for future generations.
“This is a great milestone for the UAE and our industry.”