Jinko Solar celebrates adding 4 GW of solar capacity in UAE, sees Saudi Arabia as next hot spot

Jinko Solar Co., one of the largest solar module manufacturers in the world, is forecasting that Saudi Arabia will be the "next booming destination" for new solar energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa region after adding 4 GW of solar capacity in the UAE since 2014.

In partnership with ACWA Power, the Dubai office of China's Jinko Solar has signed more than 5 GW of utility scale solar projects to be supplied in Saudi Arabia over the next two years, Nabil Moubayed, Jinko's solar director in Dubai, told customers, many of them from China and Saudi Arabia, at a company event in Dubai on March 16.

Technology partners Sungrow Power Supply Co., also based in China, and ACWA Power, along with the Middle East Solar Industry Association, were also present at the event.

Saudi Arabia is targeting 50 GW of solar energy by 2030, while the UAE aims to have 50% of its power generated by renewables by 2050.

Jinko has supplied some of the biggest UAE solar projects, including Sweihan with 1.2 GW and part of Al Dhafra with 2 GW, both in Abu Dhabi, Moubayed said. It is also involved in the fifth phase of Dubai utility DEWA's giant solar park, adding 1.2 GW in Dubai.

Jinko's shipments in the Middle East have just about doubled each year for the past few years, serving the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Yemen and Lebanon, he said. Jinko Solar is now expanding its Dubai team, but he didn't say but how many people.

For Jinko Solar worldwide, production is expected to reach 75 GW of solar cells and 90 GW of of solar modules by the end of 2023, according to its website. By the end of 2022, the cumulative module shipments of Jinko Solar were about 130 GW.