meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Ewec signs Ajban solar PV contract

19 April 2024

Abu Dhabi state utility Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has signed an agreement for the development and operation of Abu Dhabi’s third utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power project (IPP).

A team led by French utility developer EDF Renewables and including South Korea's Korea Western Power Company (Kowepo) won the 1,500MW Al Ajban solar PV IPP contract.

Ewec announced the official signing of the contract on 18 April, the final day of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

As with previous solar PV projects in the emirate, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) will own a stake in the special purpose vehicle that will implement the project.

It is the second major contract won by the French-South Korean team in the GCC since March last year. The team previously won the contract to develop and operate the 500MW Manah 1 solar IPP in Oman.

EDF, along with Masdar and Saudi contracting company Nesma, also won the contract to develop and operate the 1,100MW Hinakiyah solar IPP project in Saudi Arabia in November.

The EDF-led team submitted the lowest levelised electricity cost of 5.1921 fils a kilowatt-hour (kWh) or about 1.413 $cents/kWh for the Al Ajban solar PV IPP contract, as MEED reported in July 2023.

Japan’s Marubeni submitted the second-lowest bid of 5.3577 fils/kWh.

Ewec requested proposals for the contract in January 2023 and received bids in late June 2023. It qualified 19 companies to bid for the contract in September 2022.

Delivering goals

The Al Ajban project – similar to the 1,584MW Al Dhafra solar IPP, which was inaugurated in November, and the operational 935MW Noor Abu Dhabi plant – supports the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.

Ewec aims to install up to 17GW of solar PV capacity by 2035.

The plan will require the procurement of about 1.5GW of capacity annually over the next 10 years. Over the intervening period, ending in 2030, Ewec plans to have an additional 5GW of solar capacity, reaching a total solar installed capacity of 7.3GW by 2030.

Ewec expects its first battery energy storage system to come online in the late 2020s to boost balancing the grid's load as more renewable energy enters the system.

The UAE published its updated national energy strategy in July last year. It includes a plan to triple the nationwide renewable energy capacity to 19GW by 2030.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11697793/main.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Arada awards $408m W Residences Dubai Harbour contract

    23 February 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Sharjah-based real estate developer Arada has awarded a AED1.5bn ($408m) contract for the main construction works on its W Residences project at Dubai Harbour.

    The contract was awarded to the local Engineering Contracting Company.

    The development comprises 490 branded residences across three towers.

    The project's enabling works, including excavation and piling, have begun and are being carried out by another local firm, APCC Piling & Marine Contracting.

     Arada has awarded APCC a separate AED51m ($14m) contract to undertake the enabling works.

    The development will consist of residential, retail and leisure facilities and will be operated by US-based Marriott International.

    Arada launched the project in October 2024, as MEED reported.

    The latest contract award follows Arada's award of two contracts, worth AED2.7bn ($735m), for construction work on all four phases of the Masaar 2 residential community in the Rowdat district of Sharjah.

    Arada awarded Sharjah-based Intermass Contracting a contract for the construction of phases one, three and four.

    Abu Dhabi-based contractor Pivot Engineering & General Contracting won a contract to build the second phase of the project.

    The overall scheme encompasses the construction of 1,997 residential units across all four phases.

    Construction is expected to begin shortly, and the project is slated for completion by 2028.

    Arada is the developer behind three masterplanned residential communities in Sharjah. The Aljada, Masaar and Nasma Residences communities are valued at a combined AED33bn.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15717440/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Seven companies show interest in $3.3bn Kuwait gas project

    23 February 2026

     

    At least seven companies have shown interest in participating in the planned tender for a Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) project to develop an onshore gas plant, according to industry sources.

    The project budget is estimated to be $3.3bn and the last meeting with contractors to discuss the project took place in Kuwait on 10 February.

    Previous meetings with contractors took place at the offices of Technip Energies in Abu Dhabi.

    Contractors that have sent representatives to the meetings include:

    • Samsung E&A (South Korea)
    • Larsen & Toubro (India)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
    • Saipem (Italy)
    • Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Hyundai Engineering Company (South Korea)
    • JGC (Japan)

    At the last meeting, contractors were told that the invitation to bid is currently scheduled to be issued at the end of March.

    It was also confirmed that Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) will not be involved in the tender process.

    Capt is supposed to review technical and commercial evaluations of bids and verify that bidding is competitive.

    It is understood that not requiring Capt to approve this tender will speed up the tender process.

    The plant will have the capacity to process up to 632 million cubic feet a day of gas and 88.9 million barrels a day of condensates from the Dorra offshore field, located in Gulf waters in the Saudi-Kuwait Neutral Zone.

    In July last year, MEED reported that KGOC had initiated the project by launching an early engagement process with contractors for the main engineering, procurement and construction tender.

    France-based Technip Energies completed the contract for the front-end engineering and design.

    The facility will be developed next to Kuwait’s Al-Zour refinery.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15717358/main.png
    Wil Crisp
  • Egypt tenders 500MW solar IPP

    19 February 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has issued a request for qualifications for a 500MW solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power producer project in Egypt’s West of Nile area.

    The bid submission deadline is 11 May.

    The project is being supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and will be developed under a build-own-operate model.

    Developers will be responsible for designing, financing, constructing, owning and operating the plant, with EETC acting as the offtaker for generated electricity.

    US/India-based Synergy Consulting is acting as lead, financial and commercial advisor for this transaction.

    The project forms part of Egypt’s strategy to strengthen long-term electricity supply and increase renewable generation capacity.

    Egypt is targeting 42% renewable energy in its power mix by 2030. The country aims to raise this share to 65% by 2040.

    EETC previously had plans to build a 200MW solar plant in a west Nile area but cancelled the tender for the project in 2020.

    Egypt's power sector had its strongest year in over a decade last year, accounting for $4.2bn of total contract awards.

    Despite dipping from the previous year, solar accounted for about $1bn of total awards. 

    In November, a consortium of local firms Hassan Allam Utilities and Infinity Power won contracts to develop two solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 1,200MW, supported by 720 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery storage.

    The UAE’s Amea Power and Japan’s Kyuden International Corporation also recently reached financial close on a $700m project comprising a 1,000MW solar plant and 600MWh battery system in Aswan.

    The scheme is backed by a $570m debt package led by the International Finance Corporation and is expected to become Africa’s largest single-asset solar and storage facility when it enters operation later this year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15701778/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Local contractor wins $143m Jeddah sewage contracts

    19 February 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) has awarded two sewage network contracts worth a combined SR536.3m ($143m) to local contractor Civil Works Company.

    The projects will be implemented over 32 months from site handover and will serve northern Jeddah districts.

    The first contract, valued at SR278.5m ($74.3m), covers incomplete main lines and secondary sewage networks serving parts of the Al-Bashair, Al-Asala and Al-Falah neighbourhoods.

    The scope includes pipelines ranging from 200mm to 800mm in diameter with a total length of about 54.8 kilometres (km).

    The package also includes sewage tunnels with diameters ranging from 600mm to 1,800mm and a total length of approximately 6.5km. Works will also serve the Taybah, Abhar Al-Shamaliyah and Al-Hamdaniyah districts.

    The second contract is valued at SR257.8m ($68.8m). It covers the implementation of main lines and sub-networks to serve part of the Al-Hamdaniya neighbourhood.

    The works include pipelines ranging from 200mm to 1,500mm in diameter with a total length of about 78.5km. The scope also includes horizontal drilling works for sewage tunnels with diameters from 1,200mm to 1,400mm and a total length of approximately 205 metres.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15699620/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Saudi Arabia prequalifies firms for gas transmission grids

    19 February 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry has prequalified companies to develop natural gas distribution networks in five industrial cities in the kingdom on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

    The industrial zones earmarked are Al-Kharj Industrial City; Sudair City for Industry and Business; and the First, Second and Third Industrial Cities in Jeddah, the Energy Ministry said in a statement.

    The contractors prequalified to bid for the natural gas transmission grids BOO scheme include eight standalone firms and seven consortiums:

    • East Gas (Egypt)
    • Natural Gas Distribution Company (Saudi Arabia)
    • Egyptian Kuwaiti Advanced Operation and Maintenance (Saudi Arabia)
    • Modern Gas (Egypt)
    • Saab Energy Solutions (Saudi Arabia)
    • Sergas Contracting (Saudi Arabia)
    • Bharat Petroleum Corporation (India)
    • UniGas Arabia (Saudi Arabia)
    • Best Gas Carrier / Khazeen / Mubadra (Saudi Arabia)
    • Al Sharif Contracting (Saudi Arabia) / Anton Oilfield Services Group (China) China Oil and Gas Group
    • Hulul (owned by Saudi Arabia’s National Gas and Industrialization Company) /Al-Fanar Gas Group (UAE)
    • Indraprastha Gas (India) / Masah Contracting (Saudi Arabia)
    • Expertise Contracting / PGL Pipelines (UK)
    • National Gas Company (Egypt) / Egypt Gas (Egypt)
    • Taqa Arabia (Egypt) / Taqa Group (UAE)

    The Energy Ministry has set a deadline of 23 April for these prequalified contractors to submit technical bids.

    The ministry added in its statement that it has identified a total of 36 industrial cities in Saudi Arabia for gas infrastructure development.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15699582/main0334.png
    Indrajit Sen