A consortium comprising EDF Power Solutions and Korea Western Power Company (KOWEPO) has signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for the 1.5 gigawatts (GW) Al Zarraf Solar PV Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in Abu Dhabi.
The agreement was formalized on the sidelines of the World Utilities Congress 2025, currently taking place in Abu Dhabi. Once developed, the Al Zarraf Solar PV project will become the fifth utility-scale solar initiative by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s commitment to renewable energy expansion.
EWEC had launched the tendering process for the Al Zarraf project in January 2025 by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP). A total of 20 companies and consortiums initially submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs), and 16 were subsequently prequalified for the bidding stage after submitting their Statements of Qualification.
The project forms a key part of EWEC’s strategic vision to scale up the emirate’s solar energy generation capacity to at least 10GWac by 2030. In a January statement, EWEC had underlined the importance of this initiative in supporting Abu Dhabi’s clean energy transition.
The EDF-KOWEPO consortium is also a strong contender in other major solar developments. The group submitted the lowest bid for the 1.5GW Al Khazna Solar PV IPP project in March 2025. Additionally, the same consortium—along with UAE-based Masdar—achieved financial close on the 1.5GW Al Ajban Solar PV project in September 2024.
EWEC estimates that by 2035, Abu Dhabi will have at least 18GW of solar PV in operation, aligning with the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target for electricity generation.
The Al Zarraf project marks another milestone in the UAE’s accelerated efforts to diversify its energy mix and position itself as a leader in renewable energy across the region.
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