Algeria extends deadline for 1.2GW power plant

30 January 2026

Algeria’s state-owned electricity and gas utility Sonelgaz has extended the bid submission deadline for a contract to build a 1,200MW combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Adrar.

The project is being procured through Sonelgaz’s power generation subsidiary, Societe Algerienne de l’Electricite et du Gaz – Production de l’Electricite (SPE).

The new bid submission deadline is 26 February. The main contract was first tendered in April last year, and the deadline has been extended several times since.

The tender is open to local and international companies with experience in delivering large-scale power generation projects and with sufficient technical and financial capacity.

Algeria’s wider power sector has experienced periods of limited contract activity in recent years. Between 2018 and 2022, virtually no new solar or wind farm contracts were awarded, according to available data from the regional projects tracker MEED Projects.

In 2023, Sonelgaz Energie Renouvelables, a subsidiary of Algeria’s state-owned utility, awarded 14 of the 15 solar photovoltaic (PV) packages it tendered that year.

At the time, MEED reported that the 15 packages had a total combined capacity of 2,000MW, requiring at least AD172bn ($1.2bn) of investment.

However, publicly available data suggests that progress has been slow with several schemes yet to reach full construction or commercial stages.

Gas-fired combined-cycle plants continue to account for the majority of Algeria’s electricity generation capacity. Data from MEED Projects indicates that more than 5,000MW of oil- and gas-fired power capacity is currently under construction.

Despite this, new contract awards in 2025 came from three solar schemes.

This included the construction of a 154MW solar PV plant in Bechar, for which China Power was appointed main contractor in August.

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Mark Dowdall
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