- Israel Finance Ministry has announced that it will be launching a tender to develop a solar power plant with up to 500 MW
- The new plant will be located in the southern Negev desert, near Dimona town
- It will be developed on a public-private partnership model - the winning bidder will fund, build and operate the plant for several years before handing it over to the state
Israel will be launching a tender to set up solar power plant of up to 500 MW capacity, according to news agency Reuters, which referred to a statement of the Israel’s finance ministry. Once commissioned, it will be the largest solar power facility of the country.
The PV project will be located in the southern Negev desert near the town of Dimona. It will be funded, built and operated by the bid winner for a specific number of years. Post this, the project will go to the state. The project will be spread over an area of 2.3 square miles. No other details were shared.
Israel has also given green light for a 40 MW PV project in Ashalim. The country has already approved 10 company partnerships to participate in a tender. The winner will build and operate this plant which is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2018.
In May this year, French Energy giant EDF Group’s EDF Energies Nouvelles commissioned a 50 MW solar PV plant in Israel, its 11th in the country (see EDF Energies Nouvelles In Israel).
By 2020, Israel is aiming for 10% of its total energy production to come from renewables.
