Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, or Dewa, has visited the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Seih Al Dahal in Dubai, to assess development on the different projects there.

The Solar Park will produce over 3,000MW when all phases are completed. Al Tayer also inspected the construction of both the Creativity and Innovation and R&D centres, and progress on the 400/132kV substation at the Solar Park, which will connect the power station of the second phase of the solar park with Dewa's electricity grid. It is due to be completed by November 2017.

Al Tayer was accompanied by Hussain Lootah, executive vice-president of Power Transmission, Waleed Salman, executive vice-president of Strategy and Business Development, Khawla Al Mehairi, vice-president of marketing and corporate communications at Dewa, and Saeed Al Jallaf, vice-president of Transmission Projects and Permits.

Dewa operates the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, one of the largest strategic renewable energy projects in the world, based on the independent power producer, IPP, model. The 13MW first phase became operational on October 22, 2013. The consortium led by Saudi Arabia's ACWA and Spain's TSK was selected to implement the 200MW second phase of the solar park, which will be operational in 2017. The 800MW third phase has been announced, and the total capacity of the solar park will reach 3,000MW by 2030.

Al Tayer reviewed the work progress on interactive innovation centre, a dedicated R&D centre to test technologies such as photovoltaic, PV, panels and for concentrated solar power. -