Chinese solar panel manufacturer Trinasolar is seeking the “right partner” for its plan to set up a $5 billion integrated solar power generation chain in the UAE, a senior executive said.
Katherine Gao, the company's co-chairwoman, first revealed the project in a 2023 interview with the state news agency Wam during the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai. It was reported at the time that the initiative would create jobs for more than 7,000 people.
“The only thing is about when and how … from a government level, the UAE has a very ambitious target for the solar plan in the future, so this is an amazing market,” said Vincent Wu, president and head of Trinasolar Middle East and Africa region.
“From Trinasolar’s side, we are looking for the right partner and also whether we want to access local resources,” he told The National on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit. “We have a dedicated team who are working on [the project] daily”
Mr Wu expects the solar energy market in the Middle East to mature within the next three to five years as more industry suppliers establish a presence in the region.
Trinasolar, which is one of the world's biggest solar panel makers by sales, is also encouraging its suppliers to enter the Middle East, the executive said.
“It's about the local resources, like human resources, [and] the [level of] inflation. It's also about the supply chain, because the solar business is not only about modules and [battery storage],” he said.
While Trinasolar explores setting up manufacturing hubs in the region, the company is focusing on the sales of modules and services in the Middle East and Africa.
“We have our sales office in Dubai, [and] we have sub offices in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Algeria. So, from a sales point of view, we are investing a lot,” Mr Wu said.
Trinasolar recently partnered with the UAE's Amea Power to supply its energy storage system for a major solar project in Egypt, marking its first energy storage initiative in the region.
Egypt, the Arab world's third-largest economy, has “big potential”, thanks to a “stable” political environment and a large population, Mr Wu said.
Impact of tariffs
Chinese companies dominate the global photovoltaic (PV) industry, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the market share.
However, this dominance has faced some challenges from international trade restrictions. Since 2012, numerous countries, including major economies such as the US and Europe, have repeatedly imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese PV imports.
Concerns have also been raised about the increasing number of Chinese companies relocating production to South-East Asia to bypass US tariffs.
US president-elect Donald Trump, who often takes an adversarial view of China and Chinese companies, plans to raise tariffs by an additional 10 per cent on all Chinese goods coming into America.
Mr Wu said that Trinasolar is adapting to existing tariffs by decentralising its manufacturing and added that the new tariffs under the US administration “will not be a big issue”.
“If you know the solar industry from the very beginning, tariffs are not something new. It's actually a daily business.”
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
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INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
