EWEC opens 2 GW Al Dhafra tender in Abu Dhabi

With confirmation the 1.17 GW Noor Abu Dhabi solar farm is fully operational having arrived, the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) has wasted little time in attempting to establish a new claimant to the “largest operational single-site PV plant in the world” title.

Having described the Noor site at Sweihan in Abu Dhabi in those terms, EWEC has now opened the tender for a 40% slice of the emirate’s 2 GW Al Dhafra project, according to multiple reports in regional media.

pv magazine has contacted EWEC for more details about the reported tender for the 20km² site.

Having reportedly received 48 expressions of interest in developing and constructing the project from domestic and international parties, EWEC has now opened procurement.

Bidders for 40% holding

Under Abu Dhabi rules, the successful bidder will secure a 40% stake in the project with the balance held by the Abu Dhabi Power Corporation and other, unspecified public entities.

pv magazine reported in February, interested bidders in the Al Dhafra scheme had been given until March 5 to pre-qualify for a solar field which is expected to be fully operational during the first three months of 2022.

Once the solar farm is up and running, it would more than double Abu Dhabi’s cumulative solar generation capacity to 3.2 GW.