EWEC to award 2-GW solar project in Q1 2020 - report

Emirates Water and Electricity Company PJSC (EWEC) will award the contract for the construction of the 2-GW solar project in Al Dhafra in the first quarter of next year, a company spokesperson told The National.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corp and is replacing the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), in July issued a tender for the project and recently received bids. The competition has attracted the interest of international energy players, the spokesperson has said, without revealing the number of received proposals.

In July, EWEC said it had received 48 expressions of interest (EoIs) and then 24 firms were pre-qualified to bid in the tender for the financing, construction operation and maintenance of the solar complex. According to The National, participants in the tender could also place an optional bid for battery storage capacity.

The photovoltaic (PV) project will be implemented under the independent power producer (IPP) model. Under the laws of the UAE, the selected developer, or consortium, will own up to 40% of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that will be set up for the project. The remaining equity will be in the hands of local entities.

The solar park is planned to begin commercial operations in the first quarter of 2022, generating electricity for 110,000 local homes, EWEC announced previously.

The 1,177-MW Noor Abu Dhabi solar park in Sweihan, also known as the Sweihan Solar PV Project, started operations in June. Once the Al Dhafra project is completed, Abu Dhabi will reach 3,200 MW of solar capacity.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!