Saudi Arabia to power green hydrogen project with 2.2 GW of solar

China’s Sungrow said this week that it will provide its inverter skid technology and 1+X modular inverter solution for a 2.2 GW solar plant that NGHC is building in Oxagon. The project site is in a port area close to the futuristic Neom City project.

Once it is completed, the solar plant will be the largest PV array in the Middle East. It will power a $8.7 billion green hydrogen plant that NGHC is also building in Oxagon.

“NGHC will produce carbon-free hydrogen using solely renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to produce up to 600 tonnes per day of carbon-free hydrogen by the end of 2026,” Sungrow said.

The Chinese inverter supplier noted that it has also agreed to provide the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, India-based Larsen & Toubro, with 400 MWh of energy storage systems and 536 MW/600 MWh of DC capacity.

“The solution is an innovation combining the advantages of both central and string inverters, featuring a 1.1 MW single unit as the minimum, and the maximum capacity can be expanded to 8.8 MW by combing eight units together,” Sungrow said, in reference to the inverters for the 2.2 GW plant. “As a result of the optimal IP65 high protection capability, the solution is resilient to sandy, dry, and windy conditions. Due to the smart forced air-cooling technology, the inverter solution can work stably in extremely high temperatures.”

NGHC is an equal joint venture between Saudi energy giant ACWA Power, US-based hydrogen company Air Products, and Neom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. It is financing the hydrogen project in Oxagon with non-recourse financing from 23 local, regional financial institutions.