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Firms to submit Abu Dhabi gas-fired bids by end of February

25 February 2025

 

Prequalified developers have several days to submit their proposals for the contracts to develop and operate two separate gas-fired thermal plants in Abu Dhabi.

The client, state offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec), has set 28 February as the deadline for bidders to submit their proposals for the contracts to develop the Madinat Zayed open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) and Taweelah C combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power generation facilities.

MEED understands that two teams, led separately by France's Engie and Saudi Arabia's Aljomaih Energy & Water, are expected to bid for the Madinat Zayed OCGT independent power project (IPP).

According to Ewec, the Madinat Zayed IPP is expected to begin commercial operations in Q3 2027. It will provide up to 1,500MW of backup generation, which can be operational "at very short notice". 

A lone team is understood to be preparing to submit a bid for the Taweelah C IPP, which will have a generation capacity of up to 2,500MW and is expected to reach commercial operations in the third quarter of 2028.

The team looking to bid for the contract comprises Japan's Jera and the local Etihad Water & Electricity (Etihad WE), sources have told MEED.

The Taweelah C IPP is the first CCGT power plant project to be procured by Abu Dhabi since 2020, when Ewec awarded the contract to develop the 2,500MW Fujairah 3 IPP to Japan's Marubeni. The new power generation plant in Tawelah is expected to be carbon capture-ready.

The 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.

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.

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