Saudi Arabia NREP Round 3 Shortlisted Bidders

• Saudi Arabia has released a list of shortlisted bidders for its NREP 1.2 GW solar capacity round 3
• Lowest bid has come for a 120 MW solar project with TotalEnergies offering to build it for SAR 0.0700059 per kWh under category A
• Under category B, JinkoPower is in the running with lowest bid of SAR 0.0556255 per kWh

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy has released a list of bidders shortlisted for the country's National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) round 3 auction. Winners, once announced, will enter into 25-year power purchase agreements (PPA) with Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC).

In March 2020, the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) of Saudi Arabia released a list of 49 companies having pre-qualified for the 1.2 GW solar power tender round 3 (see 49 Companies Pre-Qualified For Saudi's Round 3).

Category A projects

France's TotalEnergies has offered the lowest bid in this round, for 120 MW Wadi Ad Dawasir Solar PV IPP with SAR 0.0700059 ($0.019) per kWh. Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power led consortium of China's SPIC and Water and Electricity Holding Company is also bidding for this project with SAR 0.0983772 ($0.026) per kWh.

The same ACWA Power led consortium is also shortlisted for 80 MW Layla Solar PV IPP having offered SAR 0.1118905 ($0.030) per kWh as the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Another Saudi Arabian company Alfanar with Asma Capital Partners has offered SAR 0.1218726 ($0.032) per kWh.

Category B projects

Comprising large scale projects under category B, for 700 MW Ar Rass Solar PV IPP, ACWA Power led consortium has bid for SAR 0.0562342 ($0.015) per kWh. The other shortlisted bidder for the same project is China's JinkoPower (HK) Company Limited with SAR 0.0576232 ($0.015) per kWh.

JinkoPower is also interested in building 300 MW Saad Solar PV IPP project with SAR 0.0556255 ($0.015) per kWh. For the same project, Abu Dhabi's Masdar and EDF Renouvelables and Nesma have offered SAR 0.0685321 ($0.018) per kWh.

Back in April 2021, the country's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had claimed 600 MW Shuaibah PV project to have been contracted for the lowest winning bid of $0.0104 per kWh (see World Record Low Solar Bid Of $0.0104/kWh In Saudi Arabia).