Saudi Arabia to hold solar site visits

10 January 2025

 

Saudi Arabia’s principal buyer, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), has invited prequalified developers to visit the sites of four solar photovoltaic (PV) projects being procured under the sixth round of the kingdom’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP).

The site visits have been scheduled for the last week of January, a source familiar with the projects told MEED.

The four solar independent power projects (IPPs) have a combined capacity of 3,000MW.

The largest scheme, the 1,400MW Najran solar PV IPP, is located in Najran, while the smallest, the 400MW Al-Sufun solar IPP, is in Hail.

The 600MW Samtah and 600MW Al-Darb solar IPPs are located in Jizan, a region under security-related travel alerts by some countries and international firms.

SPPC prequalified 16 companies that can bid as managing and technical members for the solar PV contracts. These are:

  • Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar, UAE) 
  • Alfanar Company (local)
  • EDF Renewables (France)
  • Kahrabel (Engie, France)
  • FAS Energy (local)
  • Jinko Power (Hong Kong)
  • Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco, South Korea)
  • Marubeni Corporation (Japan)
  • Nesma Renewable Energy (local)
  • SPIC Hunaghe Hydropower Development (China)
  • Sumitomo Corporation (Japan)
  • TotalEnergies Renewables (France)
  • AlJomaih Energy & Water (local)
  • Sembcorp Utilities (Singapore)
  • AlGihaz Holding Company (local)
  • Korea Western Power Company (Kowepo, South Korea)

The following five companies have been prequalified to bid as managing partners:

  • Jera Nex (Japan)
  • Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina)
  • China Power Engineering Consulting Group International Engineering (China)
  • Posco International (South Korea)
  • Saudi Electricity Company (SEC, local)

Round six of the NREP will have a total combined capacity of 4,500MW, including the 1,500MW Dawadmi wind farm, for which a separate set of bidders has been prequalified.

SPPC issued the prequalification request in late September and received statements of prequalifications from interested developers and developer consortiums on 22 October.

SPPC is responsible for the pre-development, tendering and subsequent offtaking of the energy from the projects.

US/India-based Synergy Consulting is providing financial advisory services to SPPC for the NREP sixth-round tender. Germany’s Fichtner Consulting and US-headquartered CMS are providing technical and legal consultancy services, respectively.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo
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