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Ewec moves Madinat Zayed IPP deadline

24 January 2025

 

Abu Dhabi-based utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has extended by about six weeks the deadline for prequalified developers to submit their proposals for a contract to develop and operate a new open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power generating plant in the Madinat Zayed area.

Ewec requested proposals for the 1,500MW Madinat Zayed independent power producer (IPP) project in July.

It initially expected to receive bids in the fourth quarter of last year, before the deadline was moved to mid-January.

According to an industry source, the new bid deadline is 28 February.

Industry sources previously told MEED that at least two teams are preparing to bid for the contract. France’s Engie and Saudi Arabia’s AlJomaih Energy & Water are understood to be leading the two teams.

The Madinat Zayed IPP is planned to begin commercial operations in Q3 2027. It will provide up to 1,500MW of backup generation, which can be operational at short notice. 

“Gas-fired plants like Madinat Zayed are key to ensuring a reliable energy supply while the country transitions to a decarbonised water and electricity system,” Ewec said in a statement on 29 July.

“[This type of plant] will be particularly important for supporting the growth of solar power, providing crucial flexibility during peak power demand periods and acting as a bridge to a future powered exclusively by clean and renewable sources.”

Ewec issued the request for proposals for the Madinat Zayed IPP four days after it tendered the contract to develop a 400MW battery energy storage system IPP and five days after it floated a tender for the development of the 2.5GW Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant.

Capacity buildout

Abu Dhabi's current electricity generation installed capacity sits at about 22GW, with gas-fired plants accounting for 68.7% of the total and renewable and nuclear power contributing 12% and 19%, respectively.

Construction work is under way for a 1,500MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant and a 2,457MW CCGT plant.

Two solar IPPs with a combined capacity of 3,000MW are under bid evaluation or main contract bid, while the tendering proceedings are under way for the Taweelah C CCGT plant, in addition to the Madinat Zayed OCGT.

Ewec and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) this month signed a power-purchase agreement for a 5,200MW solar PV plant with a 19 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system, which is expected to provide round-the-clock solar power.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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