New Energy Update has published a list of all the CSP projects in the pipeline in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The list includes projects that are already under construction, but also ones that are only in development, or merely announced. While some projects announced or in development may not ultimately get built, depending on problems arising later in financing or permitting or contracts, all the CSP projects under construction will become operational.
Even if some of the projects in the announced or in development categories do fall by the wayside, the sheer size of the pipeline represents a huge upwelling of interest in CSP in the MENA region.
The credit is due to locals:
Morocco led the way in first committing to an ambitious 40% solar target back in 2010 and then making it happen in a very big way. Oman took a chance on investing big in a novel technology that can replace gas in oil fields.
Dubai can also take a lot of the credit, in attracting bids at record lows this year, first at 9.4 cents per kilowatt hour in May, and then even lower in September; just 7.3 cents
