Kuwait seeks firms for 500MW solar project

21 May 2025

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE), through the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), has invited interested firms to prequalify for a contract to develop zone two of the third phase of its Al-Dibdibah power and Al-Shagaya renewable energy project.

The zone two solar photovoltaic (PV) project will have a net capacity of 500MW, about half the capacity of the zone one project.

The Al-Dibdibah Power and Shagaya Renewable Energy Phase 3 Zone 2 project is located within the administrative boundary of Kuwait's Jahra Governorate, west of Kuwait City.

MEWRE and Kapp expect utility developers to submit their statements of qualifications by 24 July.

The selected developer or developer consortium will design, finance, construct, maintain and transfer the 500MW solar independent power project (IPP). It will sign a 30-year power-purchase agreement with MEWRE, and export the output to Kuwait's national electricity grid and transmission network.

Similar to the 1.1GW Zone 1 project, London-headquartered consultancy firm EY and legal advisory firm DLA Piper, together with Norwegian engineering services firm DNV, are advising the client on the zone two solar IPP.

MEED reported in April that MEWRE and Kapp could issue the request for proposals for the Al-Dibdibah Power and Shagaya Renewable Energy Phase 3 Zone 1 solar PV plant project before the summer.

An industry source told MEED at the time that the tender documents were awaiting final approval before they were released to the market.

MEWRE prequalified six consortiums and companies to bid for the 1,100MW Al-Dibdibah Power and Shagaya Renewable Energy Phase 3 Zone 1 contract, MEED reported in August last year. These were:

  • Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia) / Alternative Energy Projects Company (local)
  • Trung Nam Construction (Vietnam)
  • EDF Renewables (France) / Abdullah Al-Hamad Al-Sagar & Brothers Company (local) /  Korean Western Power Company (Kowepo, South Korea)
  • Jinko Power (Hong Kong) / Jera (Japan) 
  • Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar, UAE) / Fouad Alghanim & Sons General Trading Contracting Company (local)
  • TotalEnergies Renewables (France)

The Zone 1 solar PV IPP project is also located in Jahra Governorate. Kapp issued the request for qualifications for the contract in January 2024.

2030-50 strategy

Kuwait aims to have a renewable energy installed capacity of 22,100MW by 2030 as part of the 20-year strategy that was announced in March 2024 and which ends in 2050.

Minister of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy, Salem Falah Al-Hajraf, confirmed that the strategy also involves installing distributed or rooftop solar farms, with the state procuring the energy output from solar PV farms.

Kuwait aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo
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