Prequalified firms have started forming consortiums and preparing proposals for the contract to develop and operate the Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) independent power project (IPP) in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi state utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) requested proposals for the contract on 24 July.

It expects to receive bids by 26 December, according to industry sources.

One of the sources said the tender closing date is likely to be extended to allow firms more time to finalise their partners and prepare their proposals.

The Taweelah C IPP will have a generation capacity of up to 2,500MW and is expected to reach commercial operations in the third quarter of 2028.

According to industry sources, the prequalified bidders are:

• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia)
• International Power (Engie)
• Jera (Japan)
• Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco, South Korea)
• Marubeni Corporation (Japan)
• Sumitomo Corporation (Japan)
• GE Vernova (US)
• Orascom Construction (Egypt)
• Sojitz (Japan) 

Ewec conducted an investor roadshow in April for the Taweelah C IPP, the first gas-fired power plant project to be procured by Abu Dhabi since 2020.

The power-purchase agreement (PPA) for Taweelah C is expected to expire by 2049, making it several years shorter than previous PPAs and in line with the UAE's plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

A team of UK-based Alderbrook Finance and US-based Sargent & Lundy is providing financial and technical advisory services to Ewec for the Taweelah C IPP.

"The carbon-capture-ready project will primarily provide transitional capacity to support the integration of renewable energy projects and to provide additional flexibility," Ewec said in a statement on 24 July.

The Taweelah C project will closely follow Abu Dhabi's IPP model, where "developers enter into a long-term agreement with Ewec as the sole procurer".

The project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of the plant, with the successful developer or developer consortium owning up to 40% of the entity.

The Abu Dhabi government will indirectly hold the remaining equity. 

Ewec awarded its last CCGT IPP nearly four years ago. Japan's Marubeni Corporation won the contract to develop the Fujairah F3 IPP in 2020.