Indian cinema's biggest night was an epic celebration of Bollywood
Masdar, which is expected to start commercial operation of the Shams 1 CSP plant in 2011, will award the main construction contracts sometime in May, said Olaf Goebel, a senior project manager with Masdar.
“When we first asked for bids in October we could not believe the cost estimates...we told the contractors we don’t want to start negotiating with you on this bid,” Goebel told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference. “Costs have come down by about 20 per cent.”
The construction of the CSP plant is now estimated to cost about $520-$550 million, Goebel said.
CSP technologies use mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto receivers that produce electricity via a steam turbine or other means.
New bids were called in February, which Goebel said was one of the reasons for the delay in starting work on the project, originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.
Masdar’s Shams 2 CSP plant is expected to launch a bidding round in December or January, Goebel told the conference. Commercial operation for this project is expected to be about “one-and-a-half years behind Shams 1,” Goebel said.
Masdar was set up by the Abu Dhabi government to develop sustainable and clean energy.
It is 100 per cent owned by the Abu Dhabi government through the Mubadala Development Company.
Masdar, also known as the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co, said last year it plans to spend $15 billion in the first phase of an initiative including solar, wind and hydrogen power projects in the United Arab Emirates.
It is also building a carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi, which will include the largest solar power plant in the region with solar panels supplied by First Solar In.
Indian cinema's biggest night was an epic celebration of Bollywood
UAE airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon until October 1 due to the ongoing crossfire
The United States and Saudi Arabia put him on their respective lists of designated terrorists in 2017
He also wished for strength and comfort for their loved ones during this difficult time
Sheikh Hamdan discussed ways to strengthen relations and the two countries also signed several bilateral agreements
Earlier in the day, Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah
Authorities said at least 254 people have died and 65 missing in landslides, floods and lightning strikes since mid-June when the annual monsoon rains started
The Bollywood awards night will see one of the most celebrated actors in the world taking the stage after several years