The webinar, taking place online on Tuesday 20th of June, 2017 at 2pm time in Dubai, is free to attend and it is organized by the World Bank MENA CSP Knowledge & Innovation Program. Places are free but limited, offered on a first come first served basis at http://bit.ly/2sJEovn

The recent tender of the CSP project in Dubai DEWA 200 has achieved a record low PPA of 9.45 US$ cents per kWh and has shifted the ground of how cheap dispatchable renewable energy can change the entire MENA region.

There is no denying that the DEWA tender marks a before and after for the CSP industry. By reaching 9.45 US$ cents per kWh, this tender has brought CSP into the single digits for the first time.

The question remains of how the extensive cost reduction can be replicated through the MENA region.

Considering that CSP has the value of being dispatchable - that is, it is flexible to provide energy round the clock when it is needed thanks to thermal storage - this low price point could bring greater flexibility opportunity to power planners and grid managers across the region.

The webinar offers an in-depth analysis of the implications and the opportunities arising from this low bid for utilities, grid operators, governments and developers:

• Expert analysis of what the latest Dubai PPA means for CSP in the MENA region, considering renewable energy programs, energy costs and the particularities of national power systems
• Clear understanding of the system value of CSP in comparison to peak load renewables - and how regional grids would benefit from adding CSP capacity
• Industry insiders’ expectations of further CSP cost reductions, given its learning curve and increasing scale brought about by investments by DEWA (1 GW), Saudi Arabia (1 GW), and China (5 GW) among others 

Top industry experts Paddy Padmanathan, CEO of ACWA Power, Jenny Chase, Manager of Solar Insight at Bloomberg New Energy Finance & Frank Wouters from the MENA CSP Knowledge & Innovation Program will analyze solar opportunities in depth and how CSP fits in. 

To sign up for this webinar please register for free at http://bit.ly/2sJEovn Places are limited and they will be awarded on first-come, first-served basis.

About MENA CSP Knowledge & Innovation Program

The MENA CSP Knowledge & Innovation Program aims to accelerate CSP investments in the MENA region. Launched in late 2016 by the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the World Bank, this three-year Program has these primary objectives:

• Addressing knowledge and awareness gaps
• Linking projects with sources of finance and technical advice
• Promoting innovation to enable CSP investments in MENA to move forward faster, and in more countries

The knowledge generated in MENA could also facilitate CSP investments elsewhere in the world, creating a virtuous circle of CSP investments and cost reductions through global economies of scale and learning.