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Market awaits Kuwait’s Shagaya solar tender

24 April 2025

 

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE), through the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), could issue the request for proposals (RFPs) for a contract to develop the Gulf state’s first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant project before the summer.

According to an industry source, the independent power project (IPP) tender documents are awaiting final approval before they are released to the market.

MEWRE prequalified six consortiums and companies that can bid for the contract, MEED reported in August last year.

The Al-Dibdibah power and Al-Shagaya renewable energy phase three, zone one project is understood to have a capacity of 1,100MW.

The consortiums and companies prequalified to bid for the contract are:

  • 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 1,100MW solar PV IPP project is located in the Jahra governorate, about 100 kilometres from the capital, Kuwait City.

Kapp issued the request for qualifications for the contract in January 2024.

The package to be tendered comprises the Al-Dibdibah and Shagaya renewable energy phase three, zone one project, Kapp said when it issued the request for qualifications to interested bidders.

In August 2022, a team led by London-headquartered consultancy firm EY won the transaction advisory contract for the next phases of Kuwait’s renewable energy programme.

London-headquartered 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 that was announced in March 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.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13746421/main3315.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

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