China Power Construction Corporation (PowerChina) has announced details of a contract signed for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on part of Abu Dhabi’s $6bn round-the-clock solar and battery storage project.

The independent power project (IPP) will combine 5.2GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity with 19GWh of battery storage. Last October, Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) broke ground on what will be the world’s largest combined solar and battery energy storage system (bess), designed to supply 1GW of round-the-clock power.

India’s Larsen & Toubro and Beijing-headquartered PowerChina were awarded the EPC contract for the project last year, with PwC Middle East advising Ewec on financial structuring.

According to the Chinese firm, the full project has been divided into two blocks, north and south, indicating at least two major packages.

PowerChina’s contract, valued at about $1.9bn, covers the northern block of the project, which includes 2.1GW of DC-side PV installations and a 7.75GWh bess. The scope includes the design, procurement and construction of substations, PV facilities and battery energy storage systems.

Located in the Mshayrif area of Abu Dhabi, the wider project is designed to supply steady delivery of power between April and October each year, the UAE’s peak electricity demand season due to cooling loads.

This includes serving large energy users that require 24/7 clean electricity, such as fast-growing data centre operators and technology firms driving artificial intelligence deployment in the region.

Ewec will act as the offtaker under a long-term power purchase agreement.

MEED previously reported that China’s CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co), Jinko Solar and JA Solar will supply the bess and PV modules, with Jinko and JA each providing 2.6GW of modules.

The project will avoid 5.7 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually and provide enough clean energy to power nearly half a million homes.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.