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Two expected to bid for 1.5GW Madinat Zayed power plant

13 January 2025

 

At least two developer consortiums are expected to bid for a contract to develop and operate a new open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power generating plant in Abu Dhabi’s Madinat Zayed area.

Abu Dhabi-based utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the 1,500MW Madinat Zayed independent power producer (IPP) project in July.

It initially expected to receive bids in the fourth quarter of last year, but MEED understands the last day for prequalified companies to submit their proposals has been extended.

According to industry sources, the two teams preparing to bid for the contract are separately led by France’s Engie and Saudi Arabia’s AlJomaih Energy & Water.

The Madinat Zayed IPP is planned 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. 

“Gas-fired plants like Madinat Zayed are key to ensuring a reliable energy supply while the country transitions to a decarbonised water and electricity system,” Ewec said in a statement on 29 July.

“These types of plants will be particularly important for supporting the growth of solar power, providing crucial flexibility during peak power demand periods and acting as a bridge to a future powered exclusively by clean and renewable sources.”

Ewec issued the RFP for the Madinat Zayed IPP four days after it tendered the contract to develop a 400MW battery energy storage system IPP and five days after it floated a tender for the development of the 2.5GW Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine plant.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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    All four projects are part of the municipality’s Tasreef programme, intended to increase Dubai’s rainwater drainage capacity by 700% by 2033 and provide capacity for the emirate’s needs for the next 100 years.

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    TF-24-C1 is one of three water infrastructure tenders issued by the municipality in August, as reported by MEED. The project will connect developers’ areas in Dubailand to the stormwater network. It includes 18 kilometres (km) of stormwater drainage pipelines with diameters of up to 1,800mm and 3.5km of gravity sewer pipelines with diameters of up to 1,000mm.

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    Aramco issued a solicitation of interest for the Jafurah fifth expansion phase in mid-November, with contractors submitting responses by 30 November, MEED previously reported.

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