MESIA forecasts a massive 5.7 GW to be delivered across the region
Thursday 16 February at 11am 2016 was a record-breaking year for solar in the Middle East. Record low tariffs below 3 US$ cents per kWh attracted worldwide press attention and even more in September 2016 when price went below 2.45 US$ cents per kWh.
The world record tariffs provided solar with an important jump-start of more large scale solar projects in the Middle East in 2016 (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan) and will drive even more large-scale project announcements and executions in 2017 in other countries (e.g. Oman and Tunisia).
In 2016, MESIA witnessed the following solar drivers and trends in the MENA region (PV, CSP, and ISCC): 885MWac in operation, 3,610 under execution and 1,300 under tender. In 2017, above 4,050 MWac are in the pipe for the PV sector and 1,310 MW for the CSP sector including some hybrid plant PV and CSP.
MESIAisperceiving a rapid adoption of large-scale solar in the Middle East: Egypt is aiming for 2,650 MW of PV capacity in operation by 2020. Morocco will have about 500 MW of CSP and 600 MW of PV in operation by 2019, while Jordan has 540 MW of PV projects under construction and is set to award 200 MW (4×50 MW) in the course of 2017. In UAE, 2016 saw Phase III awarded (Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park) with 800 MW for delivery over three phases until 2020 at 2.99 US$ cents per kWh. The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) has tendered out a minimum 350 MW Sweihan solar power plant. In Saudi, SEC is currently tendering a 100 MW PV project across two sites in the northern region of the Kingdom while in Oman, the RFP for first utility scale PV projects is expected to be launched by the tendering authority by mid-2017. The project size will be around 200 MW. Pakistan is seeing the construction of the second phase of the project Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park (QASP) in Punjab – installing 300 MW. More data are available in the MESIA Annual Solar Outlook Report.
MESIA Annual Solar Outlook Report is also addressing the Rooftop Solar Project in the MENA region. Rooftop solar kicked off in the UAE with approximately 6 MW up and running by the end of 2016. It is expected the rooftop market in the UAE could reach 70 MW in 2017. This would mean more than tenfold growth in a 1-year period.
The report also elaborates on the storage and demand response solutions which provide additional flexibility to the transmission system and allow to curb peak load.
WimAlen, Secretary General of MESIA and Senior Vice-Present Business Development – Middle East, South & Central Asia, and Turkey, at ENGIE said: “At MESIA, we are excited to see solar developments in the region going into fast-forward at attractive tariffs and lowering the carbon footprint of the regional economies. We see a pipeline of more than 5.7 GW of upcoming projects throughout the MENA region. ENGIE will be actively involved both as a market player and as an active member of MESIA. Our membership of the Association is very much in line with our global commitment to an organization such as Terrawatt Initiative, which advocates for a strong dialogue between the public and private sector to implement a solid market framework for solar worldwide.”
About MESIA
MESIA is the largest solar trade association in the Middle East and North Africa region. Established in 2009, the association represents over 150 international and local organizations including investors, installers, manufacturers, law firms, consultants, policymakers and banks. MESIA is headquartered in Dubai, UAE and carries out solar-related activities and programs across the MENA region. Its regional coverage stretches from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, with over 10,000 subscribers. Over the past 7 years, MESIA has organized over 70 industry events focused on strengthening the footprint of solar energy in our region, including trade missions in Egypt, Pakistan and Jordan. Along the way, MESIA has won several prestigious awards and had been recognized by leading government authorities across the MENA region. MESIA also publishes industry-leading reports which have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the FT. To learn more about MESIA visit www.mesia.com.
