Shams 1 Wins Project of the Year Award

​“We are delighted that Shams 1 has received such a prestigious award,” said Yousif Al Ali, the general manager of Shams Power Company, a subsidiary of Masdar. “This demonstrates the leading role that Masdar plays in the region’s renewable energy sector.  It also represents a realisation of the vision that our wise leadership has for renewable energy in the UAE.”

The 100MW Shams 1 will directly contribute to Abu Dhabi’s goal of providing 7 per cent of its energy capacity through renewable sources by the year 2020. When it begins feeding power to the Abu Dhabi grid early next year, the plant can generate enough electricity to power 20,000 homes, and will offset 175,000 tonnes of C02.

Masdar is developing Shams 1 in collaboration with Abengoa Solar of Spain and the French company Total. The joint venture between Masdar (60 per cent), Total (20 per cent) and Abengoa (20 per cent) developed, built, operates, and maintains the plant in Madinat Zayed, about 120 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city.

The power plant extends over an area of 2.5 km², with a solar field consisting of 258,048 parabolic mirrors.

Masdar continues to invest in renewable energy projects throughout the world. The company has several international projects that are either completed or under construction, including:

• The 1GW London Array in the United Kingdom, which is expected to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. 

• The 20MWGemasolar project is a concentrated solar power plant in Spain that produces electricity 24 hours a day through the use of innovative storage technology.

• Valle 1 & Valle 2, each producing 50MW, are concentrated solar power plants in Spain.

• The 15MW Mauritania solar power project will deliver 10 per cent of that country’s electricity capacity.

• The 6-megawatt Seychelles wind farm consists of eight turbines that will supply 10-15 percent of Mahe Island’s installed capacity.