Abu Dhabi to award Khazna solar IPP contract
11 March 2025
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Abu Dhabi state utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) is expected to award the contract to develop the emirate’s fourth utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the second quarter of this year.
French utility developer and investor Engie submitted the lowest bid for a contract to develop the Khazna solar independent power producer (IPP) project, also known as PV4, in October last year.
The solar power PV plant will have an installed capacity of 1,500MW.
MEED reported in October that Engie had offered a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of AEDfils 5.35502 ($c1.459) a kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the contract, beating by about 3% the second-lowest offer made by a team of China’s Jinko Power and Japan’s Jera of AEDfils 5.54126/kWh.
A team of France’s EDF Renewables and its partner, Korea Western Power Company (Kowepo), emerged with the highest offer of AEDfils 5.86311/kWh.
Ewec opened the bids on 30 October.
A transaction advisory team comprising UK-headquartered Ashurst and Alderbrook Finance and Norwegian engineering services firm DNV is advising Ewec on the 1,500MW Khazna IPP scheme.
Solar energy is integral to achieving Abu Dhabi’s target of producing nearly 50% of its electricity from renewable and clean energy sources by 2030.
In April last year, Ewec awarded the contract to develop PV3, the 1,500MW Al-Ajban solar IPP, to a team led by EDF Renewables and including Kowepo.
In 2020, a team comprising EDF Renewables and Jinko Power won the contract to develop the 1,500MW Al-Dhafra solar PV scheme, which was inaugurated last year.
In 2016, a team of Japan’s Marubeni and Jinko Power won the contract to develop and operate Abu Dhabi’s first utility-scale solar PV project in Sweihan, the 934MW Noor Abu Dhabi IPP.
Like the first three schemes, the Khazna solar PV project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of the plant and associated infrastructure.
The successful developer or developer consortium will own up to 40% of the entity, while the Abu Dhabi government will retain the remaining equity.
The developer will enter into a long-term power-purchase agreement with Ewec.
Once fully operational, the Khazna solar PV, along with Noor Abu Dhabi, the Al-Dhafra solar PV and Al-Ajban solar PV, will raise Ewec’s total installed solar PV capacity to 5.5GW and collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 8.2 million metric tonnes a year by 2027.
In January, Ewec issued the request for proposals for a contract to develop the emirate’s fifth solar PV scheme in Al-Zarraf, with a bid deadline set for Q2 2025.
READ THE MARCH MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – clck here to view PDF
Chinese contractors win record market share; Cairo grapples with political and fiscal challenges; Stronger upstream project spending beckons in 2025
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA 1: Chinese firms dominate region’s projects market
> AGENDA 2: China construction at pivotal juncture
> UPSTREAM 1: Offshore oil and gas sees steady capex
> UPSTREAM 2: Saudi Arabia to retain upstream dominance
> DIRIYAH: Diriyah CEO sets the record straight
> SAUDI POWER: Saudi power projects hit record high
> AUTOMOTIVE: Saudi Arabia gears up to lead Gulf’s automotive sector
> EGYPT: Egypt battles structural issues
> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf hits six-month growth streak
> CONTRACT AWARDS: High-value deals signed in power and industrial sectors
> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects
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Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s Heerim Architects & Planners to explore further design works on assets at the 14 square-kilometre New Murabba downtown project.
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New Murabba CEO Michael Dyke signed the agreement last week during the company’s Investment and Partnership Forum in Seoul.
At the event, NMDC also signed an MoU with South Korea’s Naver Cloud Corporation to explore technological solutions for delivering the New Murabba downtown project.
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The Mukaab is a Najdi-inspired landmark that will be one of the largest buildings in the world. It will be 400 metres high, 400 metres wide and 400 metres long. Internally, it will have a tower on top of a spiral base and a structure featuring 2 million square metres (sq m) of floor space designated for hospitality. It will feature commercial spaces, cultural and tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, and recreational facilities.
Downtown destination
The New Murabba destination will have a total floor area of more than 25 million sq m and feature more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms and over 980,000 sq m of retail space.
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The living, working and entertainment facilities will be developed within a 15-minute walking radius. The area will use an internal transport system and will be about a 20-minute drive from the airport.
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10 July 2025
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Beijing-headquartered China Railway Tunnel Engineering Group has won a $60m subcontract for the tunnelling works on package 1B of the Mid Island Parkway project in Abu Dhabi.
Package 1B entails the construction of a cut-and-cover tunnel to cross the Khor Laffan Channel, which is the area between the Saadiyat and Um-Yifeenah islands.
The tunnel, which will be between 900 metres and 1 kilometre (km) long, is being constructed on a design-and-build basis and will tie in to packages 1A and 1C.
The project is being jointly constructed by a joint venture of local firm Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and Beijing-based China Railway International Group.
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Iraq tenders Baghdad airport PPP project
9 July 2025
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Iraq’s Ministry of Transport and the General Company for Airport & Air Navigation Services have released a tender inviting firms to bid for a contract to develop Baghdad International airport on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
The notice was issued in July, and the submission deadline is in September.
According to an official statement posted on its website, Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said that 10 out of 14 international consortiums that expressed interest in the project earlier this year have been prequalified to compete for the tender.
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