An inauguration ceremony has taken place for the installation of solar panels at two district cooling plants in Abu Dhabi belonging to the UAE’s Ministry of Defence.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence has announced the completion of a project integrating solar energy into two district cooling plants serving its facilities in Abu Dhabi.

The project is the result of a partnership between the ministry, district cooling company Tabreed and Emerge, a joint venture company owned by Masdar and EDF Group.

A partnership agreement between the parties, covering the implementation of solar plants to be operated for 25 years, was signed in 2024.

Approximately 4,000 solar panels have been installed at the district cooling plants in Abu Dhabi, supplying the thermal energy storage infrastructure and chilled water pumps with 2.4 MW of electricity. An inauguration ceremony took place today.

Khalid Al Marzooqi, CEO of Tabreed, said the installation strengthens the relationship between the company and the ministry, which began with the commissioning of the first district cooling plant in 1998.

Michel Abi Saab, General Manager of Emerge, added that the milestone “reflects the growing momentum for distributed solar solutions across vital sectors of the UAE.”

In December, Emirates Water and Electricity Co. said it had secured four sites in Abu Dhabi to develop 4.6 GW of solar and wind projects.

Last week, the cumulative capacity of the UAE’s flagship solar project, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, was announced to have surpassed 3.8 GW.