The latest operational data released in November 2026 shows that EWEC, the United Arab Emirates hydropower company, disclosed that the renewable and clean energy generation in Abu Dhabi has surged by over 1000% from 2020 to 2025. The local low-carbon power generation scale continues to expand, and the progress of energy transformation far exceeds market expectations.

Over the past five years, the proportion of clean energy has increased from less than 5% to nearly 46%

The total power generation of low-carbon power sources such as nuclear power, photovoltaics, and wind power has increased directly from about 4100 GWh in 2020 to over 49300 GWh in 2025. Abu Dhabi's clean energy accounts for nearly 46% of the total power generation, which was less than 5% in 2020. In the past five years, relying on the concentrated development of nuclear power and photovoltaic projects, coupled with the gradual integration of wind power into the power grid, the low-carbon installed capacity on the power generation side has achieved a step-by-step increase.

As the first nuclear power plant in the Arab world, the four units of the Baraka Nuclear Power Plant will be connected to the grid from 2020 to 2024, continuously and stably outputting zero carbon electricity, which not only stabilizes Abu Dhabi's basic power supply, but also directly reduces the carbon emission intensity of the entire power generation side. The photovoltaic sector is rapidly expanding synchronously, and centralized projects such as Alda Farah Photovoltaic Power Station and Nur Abu Dhabi Photovoltaic Power Station, which are among the world's largest single units, are gradually put into operation, becoming the core increment driving green power supply.

Chinese enterprises deeply participate in the full chain construction to adapt to desert conditions

In the process of rapid growth of new energy in Abu Dhabi, multiple Chinese companies have deeply participated and become important suppliers of engineering and equipment in centralized photovoltaic and energy storage supporting projects. After the operation of the Alda Farah 2.1GW photovoltaic power station under the EPC general contracting of State Machinery Engineering Group, it has been continuously and stably delivering clean electricity, directly driving the growth of local photovoltaic power generation. The PV3 Ajiban 1.5GW photovoltaic project undertaken by China Power Construction is steadily advancing, and after completion, it can deliver 4.4 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity annually.

In response to the intermittent problem of photovoltaics, the local benchmark RTC solar storage project plans to combine 5.2GW of photovoltaics with 19GWh of energy storage, with the goal of creating a stable and dispatchable base load green electricity. Among them, China Power Construction undertakes the EPC work of 2.1GW photovoltaic plus 7.75GWh energy storage in the northern block, and Sunac Power provides a 7.5GWh liquid cooled energy storage system and 2.6GW photovoltaic inverters for the project. Relying on domestic grid type energy storage solutions, it helps the local area convert photovoltaic resources into adjustable electricity that can support the power grid.

On the wind power track, PowerChina has built the first centralized wind power demonstration project in the United Arab Emirates, breaking the previous pattern of renewable energy development dominated by photovoltaics in the area. Domestic manufacturers such as Huawei and JinkoSolar continue to supply inverters and liquid cooled energy storage PCS equipment, which are suitable for the special working conditions of high temperature and high dust in deserts. A complete set of desert solutions such as waterless cleaning, tracking brackets, and unmanned boosting stations have been implemented, greatly reducing the long-term operation and maintenance pressure of power plants. Keywords: new energy projects, energy transformation, Middle East

According to the plan, EWEC will continue to add clean energy installations in the future, enhance the flexibility of the power grid, support the implementation of the "2035 Abu Dhabi Power Generation Clean Energy Strategy Goal", and help promote the UAE's 2050 net zero emissions strategy.Editor/Cheng Liting