Kuwait receives bids for Shagaya solar plant

28 January 2026

 

Three consortiums have submitted bids for a contract to develop Kuwait's first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant.

The Al-Dibdibah power and Al-Shagaya renewable energy phase three, zone one independent power project (IPP) will have a total power generating capacity of 1,100MW.

It is being prcoured by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE), through the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), which issued the request for proposals in June 2025.

The three bidding consortiums are:

  • Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia) / Alternative Energy Projects Company (Kuwait)
  • EDF Renewables (France) / Abdulla Al-Hamad Al-Sagar & Bros (Kuwait) / Korea Western Power Company (South Korea)
  • Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar, UAE) / Fouad AlGhanim & Sons (Kuwait)

Kapp issued the request for qualifications for the contract in January 2024, with six prequalified companies and consortiums announced that August. 

The request for proposals was issued in June 2025 with an initial deadline of 14 September.

Bidding for the project closed on 15 January following a deadline extension.

The selected developer will sign a 30-year power purchase agreement with the MEWRE to export its electricity output. The contract also calls for the construction of an associated 400kV transmission substation. 

London-headquartered consultancy firm EY is the lead and financial transaction adviser. The UK's DLA Piper is the legal adviser, while Norwegian engineering services firm DNV is the client’s technical and environmental adviser.

2030-50 strategy

Kuwait aims to have a renewable energy installed capacity of 22,100MW by 2030 as part of the 20-year strategy announced in March 2025 and ending in 2050.

In September last year, Kapp opened bidding for its Al-Dibdibah power and Al-Shagaya renewable energy phase three, zone two IPP, which will have a capacity of 500MW. 

The main contract bid submission deadline is 16 February.

The selected developer or developer consortium will design, finance, construct and maintain the project.

In October, MEED reported that the following consortiums and companies had prequalified to bid for the contract:

  • Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia) / Arabian Engineering Projects Contracting Company (Kuwait)
  • EDF Renewables (France) / Al-Kharafi & Sons (Kuwait) / Korea Western Power Company 
  • Masdar (UAE) / Al-Ghanim International (Kuwait)
  • Jinko Power (China) / Combined Group Contracting (Kuwait)
  • Swift Current Energy (US) / Arizona National (Kuwait)
  • Limak (Turkiye)
  • Kalyon Enerji (Turkiye)
  • TotalEnergies (France)
  • TCL Zhonghuan (China)
  • Sinotec (China)

The zone two scheme is the fourth renewable energy project to be developed under Kuwait’s public-private partnership programme.

Similar to the 1,100MW zone one project, EY and DLA Piper, together with DNV, are advising the client on the zone two solar IPP.


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Mark Dowdall
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