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China engineers complete largest solar farm on Earth in UAE ahead of Cop28

  • The 4 million panels in the desert outside Abu Dhabi will reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes per year and power 200,000 households
  • Project team battled the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues to finish the three-year build on time

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The China-built Al Dhafra solar plant outside Abu Dhabi has produced 3.6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity since it started full operations in April. Photo: AFP
Ling Xinin Ohio
The world’s largest single-site solar power plant – a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative – has been completed in the United Arab Emirates, ahead of the UN climate change conference Cop28 in Dubai later this month.

The two-gigawatt Al Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic Project covers 20 sq km (7.7 square miles) of desert outside Abu Dhabi and can power about 200,000 households, according to main contractor China National Machinery Industry Corporation.

The company said the plant was expected to help Abu Dhabi reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes each year – the equivalent of taking more than half a million cars off the road – and take the proportion of clean energy to over 13 per cent of the emirate’s overall consumption.

By mid-November, the solar farm had already produced 3.6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity ahead of its official inauguration last Thursday.

“As the UAE prepares to host Cop28, this pioneering project reflects the country’s ongoing commitment to raising its share of clean energy, reducing its carbon emissions and supporting the global efforts on climate action,” said Abu Dhabi’s deputy ruler, Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Hazza also expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the contractor’s “high standard, high quality work”, the company said on its official WeChat account.

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