Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy leader, last month announced preferred suppliers and contractors for the world’s first large-scale ‘round the clock’ gigascale renewable project planned in Abu dhabi.

Larsen & Toubro and Powerchina have been selected as preferred engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors for the project, which will combine solar photovoltaic (PV) power and battery storage to deliver uninterrupted renewable energy.

JA Solar and Jinko Solar, two of the world’s largest PV module suppliers, and CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer and a leading battery energy storage system (BESS) supplier, are preferred suppliers for the project, Masdar announced at the recent Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).

Letters of Award for the EPC contractors were signed during a special ceremony at the Masdar Pavilion at ADSW, with Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Chief Operating Officer, Masdar, signing both. Yu Feng, President of HDEC International, signed for Powerchina, with Gao Fei, Vice-President of Powerchina MENA Headquarters, witnessing.

The Letter of Award for Larsen & Toubro was signed by A  Ravindran, Senior Vice-President and Head – Renewables IC, with T Madhavadas, Whole Time Director and Senior Executive Vice-President (Utilities), witnessing.

In collaboration with Ewec (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), Masdar, announced it is developing the gigascale project, capable of delivering up to 1 GW of baseload power 24/7. The project will feature a 5.2GW (DC) solar PV plant, coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS, making it the largest solar and BESS project in the world.

Alobaidli said: “The record-breaking project we are developing with Ewec is a giant step forward in the clean energy transformation, overcoming the intermittency challenges of renewables and enabling the dispatch of clean energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As Masdar’s largest and most ambitious project to date, we made sure we are working with the best possible partners that will deliver to the highest standards.”

Jinko Solar and JA Solar are preferred suppliers for PV modules amounting to 2.6GW capacity each, with both companies utilising the latest TopCon technology with optimised parameters for maximum efficiency and production for 30 years.

CATL, as preferred supplier for the BESS, will supply its leading Tener technology for the total capacity of 19GWh, which features all-round safety, a long service life, and a high level of integration, ensuring the reliable, stable operation and high efficiency of the entire project lifetime.