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Abu Dhabi receives 4 bids to build 1,500MW solar plant

By Pramod Kumar
ewec Al Ajban solar plant Wam
Ewec executives announced the names of the four bidders for Al Ajban solar PV as being from Saudi Arabia, France and Japan

State-owned Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) has received four bids to develop the 1,500MW Al Ajban solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power project.

The bids were submitted by Saudi-listed Acwa Power, France’s EDF Renewables, Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and a Japanese consortium of Jinko Power and JERA, the state-run Wam news agency reported.

Al Ajban Solar PV is Ewec’s third solar power project, making Abu Dhabi home to three of the world’s largest single-site solar power plants.

Once it is commercially operational, the project is expected to generate electricity to power 160,000 homes across the UAE. It is preditcted to reduce Abu Dhabi’s CO2 emissions by up to 2.4 million tonnes per year.

The plant will raise Ewec’s total solar power capacity to 4GW.

Ewec aims to raise Abu Dhabi’s solar power generation capacity to 7.3GW by 2030 and supply 60 percent of the emirate’s total power demand from renewable and clean energy sources by 2035.

Ewec received 43 expressions of interest from potential bidding companies and consortiums, with 19 qualifying for the request for proposals stage after submitting statements of qualification.

The UAE’s utility services provider is expected to make the project award announcement and execute power purchase agreement by the fourth quarter of 2023.

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