WATCH: First Offshore Floating Solar in Middle East

The United Arab Emirates is set to launch the first floating solar power plant in the waters of the Arabian Gulf.

The small resort island of Nurai in Abu Dhabi will commission the floating solar plant with Dubai-based solar developer Enerwhere.

According to reports, the 80kW facility is the pilot phase, or test-bed for similar plants in the region.

Setup for the project is complete on Nurai, with commissioning said to take place soon. Since 2016, the island has drawn power from a solar-hybrid mini-grid installed by Enerwhere, and the new plant is being hailed as one of the world’s first floating solar installations in an offshore, salt-water location.

On commissioning, it will supply power to the Zaya Nurai Resort, reports say.

Floating solar technology is receiving official attention in the UAE, and late last year, Dubai assigned the German Fichtner Group the mission of the floating solar project in the waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Clean-energy developer Masdar, owned by Abu Dhabi’s government, is also building Indonesia’s first floating solar project.