Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company Masdar and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) have announced the launch of the “world’s largest” combined solar and battery energy storage system (BESS).

Located in Abu Dhabi, the project will feature a 5.2GW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS, delivering up to 1GW of baseload power daily.

Masdar says this gigascale project reflects the UAE’s ambitions of being a global pioneer in renewable energy deployment.

Sultan Al Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology and chairman of Masdar, said: “In collaboration with EWEC and our partners, we will develop a renewable energy facility capable of providing clean energy round the clock. For the first time ever, this will transform renewable energy into a world-leading 1GW of reliable baseload energy every day on an unprecedented scale.”

Othman Al Ali, chief executive officer of EWEC, said: “By launching the world’s largest solar PV and BESS, Abu Dhabi is setting...