The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has released a request for qualifications for the fifth round of solar projects under the National Renewable Energy Programme with a total capacity of 3.7GW.
The biggest project offered in this round is Al Sadawi with a capacity of 2GWac, located in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The 1GWac AI Masa’a project will be located in the Hail province, while two more solar projects, including the 400MWac Al Henakiyah 2 project and the 300MWac Rabigh 2 project, will be built in the Madinah province and the Makkah province respectively.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The projects are under the National Renewable Energy Programme led and supervised by the Ministry of Energy. SPPC said the National Renewable Energy Programme aims to displace liquid fuels in Saudi Arabia’s power sector and supply 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
SPPC is responsible for the pre-development, tendering, and offtaking of the energy from the projects. To date, SPPC has awarded over 12.6GW of renewables capacity under the National Renewable Energy Programme.
Prior to the fifth round of the National Renewable Energy Programme, the SPPC signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Chinese solar developer JinkoPower for the 400MW Tabarjal solar PV project.
Electricity generated from the project will be acquired by SPPC through a 25-year PPA. Construction of the project, which will use bifacial solar modules, will begin next year.
SPPC also signed a PPA with UAE state-run renewables developer Masdar and French power company EDF Renewables, as well as Saudi conglomerate Nesma Company, for the planned 1.1GW Al Henakiyah Solar Plant in Saudi Arabia.
The project is expected to be online in 2025, at which point it will be one of the world’s largest single-site solar PV projects.
