Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has laid out an ambitious vision to establish itself as a renewable energy hub for the Middle East and beyond. The market is growing rapidly, with solar generation capacity more than tripling in 2023. But obstacles remain for the Kingdom to continue on this PV pathway, and these challenges were up for discussion this week in Riyadh at the SunRise Arabia conference, organized by Solarabic and pv magazine.

Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) has announced a request for qualification (RFQ) in relation to 3.7 GW of solar across four projects, as part of the fifth round of the Saudi Arabian government’s renewable energy tender program.

Masdar, EDF Renewables and Nesma Company have signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) to develop the 1.1 GW Al Henakiyah Solar Project in Saudi Arabia.

With a combined capacity of 4.55 GWac, the projects will power some 750,000 households. The Public Investment Fund is mandated to develop 70% of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy target capacity by 2030.

Saudi Arabia aims to add 10 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2027, with solar to account for the lion’s share. The Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) describes the main market drivers that could make this target achievable.

PV Hardware (PVH), a solar tracker and mounting systems manufacturer, has opened a new factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is expected to produce 8 GW of trackers and solar structures per year, mainly for projects in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Alfanar has revealed plans to set up a solar project including ground-mounted and floating PV to provide power to the Al Jubail 2 water desalination plant on the east coast of Saudi Arabia. It will require an investment of SAR 1.2 billion ($319 million).

Saudi Arabia’s latest procurement exercise will facilitate the construction of 1.8 GW of wind power at three sites and two solar parks with a combined capacity of 1.5 GW.

ACWA Power and Emirates Water and Electricity Co. (EWEC) have commissioned the first phase of the Al Taweelah Independent Water Plant in the United Arab Emirates. The facility, which can produce more than 6.4 million cubic meters of water per day, sources some of its power from a nearby solar park.

The production equipment for the factory was provided by Spain’s Mondragon Assembly. The facility is currently the largest module factory in the Middle East.