Biggies Line Up For Saudi Arabia’s Solar Tender

• REPDO has received bids from a number of international companies for its 1.47 GW Round 2 tender under NREP, according to media reports
• While First Solar has teamed up with Al-Blagha to bid for Category A projects, local company Alfanar has bid for the same category
• Category B projects have Marubeni, Total, Masdar, EDF and GIC jointly bidding with a local partner

Saudi Arabia's Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) has received two bids in Category A of Round 2 of the National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP). The two bidders were identified as local company Alfanar and the consortium of Saudi Arabia's Al-Blagha and US based First Solar.

A MEED news update carried by Power Technology said the projects these companies have submitted bids for belong to Category A wherein two PV projects are to be established – 50 MW Medina and 20 MW Rafha.

In Round 2 of the NREP, two projects are to be set up as Category A, and four projects with a cumulative capacity of 1.4 GW will be developed in Category B (see Saudi Arabia Launches RFP For 1.47 GW Solar Capacity).

Bids for the 1.4 GW Category B projects came from the following consortiums, each with a local company:

• Japan's Marubeni and Al-Jomaih
• France's Total and Al-Gihaz
• UAE's Masdar, France's EDF and Nesma
• Kuwait's GIC and ACWA Power

While proceedings continue for Round 2, REPDO already launched Round 3 in January 2020 offering 1.2 GW capacity divided in Category A and B projects (see Saudi Arabia Launches Solar Tender Under NREP Round 3).