EDF has won an Israeli solar tender by bidding $0.019/kWh, securing a 100 MW project and the ability to sell power at a record price of ILS0.07 ($0.02)/kWh.

Photo: Justin LaBerge, Flickr

EDF Renewables, a unit of French energy giant EDF, has won the Israeli government’s latest tender to build and operate a new 100 MW solar power plant, according to a statement from the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

The company bid 0.07 ILS/kWh – the lowest price ever recorded in an energy tender in Israel. The previous lowest bid ever recorded in the Israeli market was also submitted by EDF for a 40-MW solar plant in Ashalim, a small community in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The plant sells power to the grid at a rate of 0.08 ILS/kWh.

“The tender results show that reducing emissions and meeting renewable energy targets go hand in hand with lower electricity prices, which is great news for the citizens of Israel,” said Chief Accountant Yehli Rotenberg.

Energy Ministry Director General Yossi Dayan said the tender result shows renewable energy’s ability to reduce electricity production costs. Dayan argued that these reductions could help lower living costs.

The new photovoltaic power plant will be built near the southern village of Ashalim under a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement. The plant is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2027, according to a previous statement by the Israel Electricity Authority.

The facility will be the fifth solar project built by the French company in the region. 2018 also saw the completion of the Pduyim (14 MW), Mefalsim (13 MW) and Kfar Maimon (7 MW) solar projects, which the Israeli authorities selected in a tender in 2017.

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