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UAE’s Ewec extends Taweelah C power plant tender

16 April 2025

 

State utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) is understood to have extended the tender closing date for the contract to develop and operate the Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) independent power project (IPP) in Abu Dhabi.

The extension was announced after Ewec received a single bid for the contract on 28 February, according to industry sources.

The Taweelah C IPP will have a generation capacity of up to 2.5GW and is expected to reach commercial operations in the third quarter of 2028.

MEED previously reported that UAE-based Etihad Water & Electricity (Etihad WE) submitted a lone bid for the contract.

The bidder, which sources say is now working with a new consortium partner, intends to resubmit a proposal by the June deadline.

At least one more prequalified utility developer is interested in bidding, according to one of the sources.

MEED understands that Ewec has reserved gas turbine units from German original equipment manufacturer Siemens Energy, which could help to attract more bidders to participate in the tender.

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 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. 

The Taweelah C IPP project’s power-purchase agreement (PPA) 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.

Ewec prequalified nine firms that can bid for the Taweelah C IPP contract in July last year.

In addition to Etihad WE, the following firms passed the contract's prequalification phase:

  • 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) 

The Taweelah C IPP is the first CCGT project to be procured by Abu Dhabi since 2020, when Ewec awarded Japan’s Marubeni Corporation the contract to develop the Fujairah 3 (F3) IPP.

Capacity buildout

Ewec is undertaking a significant capacity buildout to support the emirate’s net-zero, energy diversification and artificial intelligence (AI) strategies.

The bid evaluation process is under way for the Madinat Zayed open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) IPP. The power plant is expected to begin commercial operations in Q3 2027. It will provide up to 1.5GW of backup generation, which can be operational at very short notice. 

Ewec and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) recently signed the PPA for Al-Dhafra OCGT, while the prequalification process is under way for a 3.3GW CCGT in Al-Nouf.

The tendering proceedings are under way for three renewable energy IPPs: the Al-Khazna and Al-Zarraf solar photovoltaic (PV) and Al-Sila wind facilities, and Abu Dhabi’s first independent battery energy storage system (bess) plant, Bess 1.

In addition, Ewec and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) plan to build a round-the-clock solar PV plus bess project. The solar PV plant will have a capacity of 5.2GW, while the bess facility is expected to have a capacity of 19 gigawatt-hours.

MEED’s May 2025 report on the UAE includes:

> GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY: UAE looks to economic longevity
> BANKING: UAE banks dig in for new era
> UPSTREAM: Adnoc in cruise control with oil and gas targets
> DOWNSTREAM: Abu Dhabi chemicals sector sees relentless growth
> POWER: AI accelerates UAE power generation projects sector
> CONSTRUCTION: Dubai construction continues to lead region
> TRANSPORT: UAE accelerates its $60bn transport push

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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