UAE inaugurates giant solar plant, two weeks before climate talks

The United Arab Emirates inaugurated on Thursday one of the world's biggest solar plants, two weeks before the oil-rich Gulf state hosts UN climate talks.

The Al Dhafra plant, south of the capital Abu Dhabi, stretches over 21 square kilometres of desert, an area about one-fifth the size of Paris.

Its rows of photovoltaic panels rotate to follow the sun and are kept clear of sand and dust by robotic cleaning modules. "This project will bring low-carbon electricity to the Emirates," said Bruno Bensasson, CEO of France's EDF Renewables, one of the partners in the project.

The UAE is on a drive to triple its renewable energy over the next seven years as it attempts to achieve "net zero" in domestic carbon emissions by 2050.