The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched the world’s first large-scale, 24/7 gigascale renewable energy facility, combining solar power and advanced battery storage in Abu Dhabi.
The milestone project was announced by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of Masdar, alongside Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment and Group CEO of ADQ.
The facility integrates 5.2 GW of solar capacity with 19 GW hours of battery storage to generate 1 GW of uninterrupted, baseload renewable energy. Developed in collaboration with the Emirates Water and Electricity Company, the initiative addresses the challenge of renewable energy intermittency.
“For decades, the biggest barrier facing renewable energy has been intermittency — sourcing uninterrupted clean power day and night,” Dr Al Jaber explained. “This groundbreaking project solves that issue, thanks to the visionary leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”
He emphasised, “For the first time, this transforms renewable energy into 1 GW of reliable baseload power every day on an unprecedented scale. This marks a pivotal step that could become a giant leap for the world.”
The project aligns with the UAE’s ambitious vision to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, setting a new global standard for sustainable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
