Kuwait prequalifies six for 1.1 GW solar IPP

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy (MEWRE), through the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), has pre-qualified six consortiums and companies to bid for the contract to develop and operate large solar power plant project in Kuwait.

The Al-Dibdibah Power Plant and Al-Shagaya Renewable Energy Power Plant Phase 3, Zone 1 project is expected to have a capacity of 1,100 MW.

The consortiums and companies that have been pre-qualified to submit a bid for the contract are:

• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia) / Alternative Energy Project Company (Local)
• Trung Nam Construction (Vietnam)
• EDF Renewables (France) / Abdullah Al-Hamad Al-Sagar and Brothers Company (local) / Korean Western Power Company (Kowepo, South Korea)
• Jinko Power (Hong Kong) / Jera (Japan)
• Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar, UAE) / Fouad Alghanim & Sons General Trading Contracting Company (Local)
• TotalEnergy Renewables (France)

The 1,100 MW photovoltaic independent power producer (IPP) project is located in Jahra Province, about 100 kilometres from the capital, Kuwait City.

Slippers issued an application for qualifications for a contract in January this year.

In April, MEED said authorities were still reviewing the qualification documents submitted by interested bidders.

As Kapp said when it issued a request for proposals to interested bidders in January, the package to be put out to tender includes the Phase 3, Zone 1, Al-Dibdibah and Shagaya renewable energy project.

In August 2022, a team led by London-based consulting firm EY won a contract to provide transaction advice on the next phases of Kuwait’s renewable energy program.

The legal advisor is London-based law firm DLA Piper, while the client’s technical and environmental advisor is Norwegian engineering services company DNV.

The Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (Kisr), in collaboration with the Ministry of Electricity, developed the first phase of the SREP. It included a 50-megawatt parabolic trough solar power plant and a 10-megawatt wind and solar PV plant.

Strategy for 2030-50

Kuwait aims to achieve 22,100 MW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 under a new 20-year strategy ending in 2050 announced in March.

Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Salem Falah Al-Hajraf confirmed that the strategy also includes the installation of distributed or rooftop solar farms, with the state obtaining the energy generated by the photovoltaic farms.

Kuwait aims to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2060.