Quality improvement and upgrading of China Arab new energy cooperation

At the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China Arab Cooperation Forum, China announced that it will build a "Five Major Cooperation Patterns" with the Arab side based on the "Eight Common Actions" of the first China Arab Summit, and accelerate the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Arab countries. One of the "Five Cooperation Patterns" is to build a more three-dimensional energy cooperation pattern, supporting Chinese energy enterprises and financial institutions to participate in renewable energy projects in Arab countries.

As early as 2017, the UAE government launched the National Energy Strategy 2050, aiming to increase the proportion of clean energy in total energy consumption to 50% by 2050. In July 2023, the UAE government approved the National Energy Strategy 2050 Update, which plans to more than double the installed capacity of renewable energy by 2030, increasing the share of clean energy in the total energy structure to 30%. The cooperation between China and the United Arab Emirates in renewable energy not only started early and has a large scale, but has also continuously improved and upgraded in recent years, with breakthrough and demonstration significance.

Desert Light

The vast desert areas within the United Arab Emirates provide ample year-round sunlight, and the abundant solar energy resources make photovoltaic power generation an ideal alternative to clean energy in the UAE. According to the latest data from the Energy Research Institute, the per capita solar energy consumption in the United Arab Emirates currently ranks second in the world.

At the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China Arab Cooperation Forum, China announced that it will build a "Five Major Cooperation Patterns" with the Arab side based on the "Eight Common Actions" of the first China Arab Summit, and accelerate the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Arab countries. One of the "Five Cooperation Patterns" is to build a more three-dimensional energy cooperation pattern, supporting Chinese energy enterprises and financial institutions to participate in renewable energy projects in Arab countries.

As early as 2017, the UAE government launched the National Energy Strategy 2050, aiming to increase the proportion of clean energy in total energy consumption to 50% by 2050. In July 2023, the UAE government approved the National Energy Strategy 2050 Update, which plans to more than double the installed capacity of renewable energy by 2030, increasing the share of clean energy in the total energy structure to 30%. The cooperation between China and the United Arab Emirates in renewable energy not only started early and has a large scale, but has also continuously improved and upgraded in recent years, with breakthrough and demonstration significance.

Desert Light

The vast desert areas within the United Arab Emirates provide ample year-round sunlight, and the abundant solar energy resources make photovoltaic power generation an ideal alternative to clean energy in the UAE. According to the latest data from the Energy Research Institute, the per capita solar energy consumption in the United Arab Emirates currently ranks second in the world.


Drive south from the center of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, about 45 kilometers into a vast desert. Looking ahead, rows of photovoltaic panels stretch continuously. This is Eldarfur PV2 photovoltaic power station contracted by China Machinery Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd., the world's largest single photovoltaic power station that has been built at present, and also an important project in the green energy field of the "the Belt and Road".

The project covers an area of approximately 21 square kilometers and mainly includes a photovoltaic power generation area (PV area) with an installed capacity of 2.1 gigawatts, a 33/400 kV boosting station (HV area), and a 400 kV switching station (ESF area).

China Machinery Engineering Co., Ltd. is responsible for the design, procurement, construction, and 2-year operation and maintenance of the project. They overcame difficulties such as short construction period, large scale, and harsh natural environment on site, and adopted the world's leading photovoltaic technology and equipment. Nearly 4 million solar panels are all made of single-crystal double-sided double-glass photovoltaic modules; The tracking bracket will adjust the angle of the photovoltaic module according to the direction of sunlight to ensure maximum power generation efficiency; Adopting remote control automatic cleaning robots and fully dry anhydrous cleaning, it ensures cleaning efficiency without causing any damage to components. The ESF switching station adopts the world's most advanced technology and can achieve unmanned operation after completion.

The project officially started construction in January 2021 and entered commercial operation in June 2023. The installed capacity on the DC side is 2.1 gigawatts, and the power generation can meet the electricity demand of about 200000 households in the United Arab Emirates. It can reduce carbon emissions by over 2.4 million tons annually and provide about 5000 employment opportunities for the local area. As of mid June 2024, the project has cumulatively contributed 6.175 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity to the United Arab Emirates.

Gui Shuju, the director of China Machinery Engineering Co., Ltd.'s Aldafura Photovoltaic Power Station, introduced that the photovoltaic modules, tracking brackets, cleaning robots, and unmanned switching stations in the project all use Chinese technology and products. In terms of project operation and management, the Chinese team has integrated Chinese standards with those of the United Arab Emirates and Europe, and innovated a unique set of management standards based on the photovoltaic power station, ensuring safe operation without accidents. At the same time, it has also verified the stability and reliability of Chinese equipment and technology.

In November 2023, at the completion ceremony of the Aldafura Photovoltaic Power Station. The Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Energy, Avida Murhid Marar, stated that the completion of the Al Dafra photovoltaic power plant marks a strategic step for the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi in the field of clean and renewable energy, which is of great significance for the UAE to achieve its 2050 carbon neutrality goal. Abdulaziz Obadeli, Chief Operating Officer of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, believes that the Aldafura project is an example of Chinese photovoltaic manufacturing companies making positive contributions to achieving carbon neutrality goals worldwide.

The Machine of Wind Energy

Previously, the public generally believed that the wind speed in the UAE was relatively low, and wind energy was not feasible on a utility scale. But the innovation of climate technology, larger turbines, lower hardware costs, and the discovery of the unique weather phenomenon in the UAE that generates strong winds at night make UAE wind energy projects economically feasible.

In October 2023, the UAE wind power demonstration project undertaken by China Electric Power Construction Corporation was officially put into operation in Abu Dhabi, achieving grid connected power generation. The total installed capacity of this project is 117.5 MW, consisting of four wind farms.

Li Junqi, Deputy General Manager of China Electric Power Construction's Middle East and North Africa Regional Headquarters, stated that due to the diverse terrain, geology, and transportation conditions of the four islands, they are not only scattered but also far apart, which increases the difficulty of design, logistics, construction, and management. The power construction team overcame difficulties such as long distances, high winds and waves, high temperatures and humidity, and refined transportation plans to ensure the safe delivery of wind turbines to the construction site. After the project is put into operation, it can provide power to over 23000 households in the United Arab Emirates and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 120000 tons.

As the first wind power project in the UAE, this project has received high attention and support from the UAE government. On September 28, 2023, Abu Dhabi Chief's Crown Prince Khalid bin Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Jabir attended the completion ceremony of the project. The UAE News Agency commented that the project marks the first time that utility scale wind power has been included in the UAE's energy structure, and is a milestone.

Li Junqi stated that this project is a concrete practice of China Arab capacity cooperation to drive the export of Chinese technology and equipment, and has made a positive contribution to the export of China's high-end equipment manufacturing industry.

Hydrogen Hub

In July 2023, the UAE government approved the National Hydrogen Strategy, with the goal of producing 1.4 million tons of hydrogen annually by 2031 and increasing to 15 million tons annually by 2050, thus ranking among the top ten green hydrogen producing countries in the world. The United Arab Emirates has also pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To this end, the UAE plans to establish a hydrogen hub to accelerate industrial adoption of hydrogen, cultivate supply chains and infrastructure, and attract global energy companies.

Masdar City is a new city invested and constructed by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar. After completion, it will be the world's first "zero carbon emissions" and "zero waste" city completely powered by renewable energy. During the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, a high-speed green hydrogen refueling pilot station "H2GO" integrating hydrogen production and refueling was successfully operated in Masdar City. The scene of hydrogen testing vehicles lined up for refueling provided by Toyota, Alfotem, and BMW has attracted widespread attention. Behind this, Guofu Hydrogen and UAE energy solution company Broaden Energy have provided technical and equipment support for the construction of the hydrogen refueling pilot station.

Tao Chunlong, Middle East partner of Guofu Hydrogen Energy, stated that the hydrogen refueling station is operated by Abu Dhabi Oil Company in the United Arab Emirates, and the hydrogen provided will receive green certification from the International Renewable Energy Certificate (I-REC) standard, an international certification organization. This project will be used to collect data to understand the long-term feasibility of hydrogen powered vehicles in the United Arab Emirates. Guofu Hydrogen Energy has provided equipment and technical services for 50 standard cubic meters per hour (Nm3/h) of electrolytic water hydrogen production and 70 megapascals of hydrogen refueling for this project. At the same time, it has also provided a 70 megapascals IV type bottle onboard hydrogen supply system solution for fuel cell buses operating in Abu Dhabi. This is a successful case of local businesses in the United Arab Emirates utilizing partnerships to achieve sustainable transportation solutions and support energy transformation.

In June, Broaden Energy signed a preliminary agreement with the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Economic Development to invest 1 billion dirhams to open a hydrogen equipment manufacturing center in the United Arab Emirates, which will be Abu Dhabi's first hydrogen equipment manufacturing complex. By promoting the production of local hydrogen energy equipment, this complex will become the cornerstone of the local hydrogen economy, not only enhancing the energy infrastructure of the UAE, but also creating new employment opportunities through the development of the value chain, promoting sustainable development and innovative industrial solutions.

Tao Chunlong stated that while the United Arab Emirates is vigorously developing renewable energy, it needs advanced technology and production capacity in the equipment manufacturing industry, and China is precisely a global manufacturing powerhouse, especially in new energy technology and equipment. The complementary advantages of cooperation between China and Arab countries in the field of new energy have broad prospects. (Li Xuehua, reporter of Economic Daily in Abu Dhabi)