SPPC has qualified 27 applicants for 6 BESS projects totaling 12 GWh of storage capacity
Each project will have 500 MW/2,000 MWh capacity with 4-hour storage and will be developed under a BOO model
The tender supports Saudi Arabia's goal of reaching 48 GWh of energy storage and increasing renewable energy's share in the power mix to around 50% by 2030
The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has pre-qualified 27 applicants for the second group of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Saudi Arabia, with a combined storage capacity of 12 GWh.
The request for qualification (RFQ) for the projects was launched on April 23, 2026 (see SPPC Launches 12,000 MWh BESS Qualification Round).
The program covers 6 independent storage projects, each with a capacity of 500 MW/2,000 MWh and a 4-hour storage duration. The projects will be located across 6 sites: Samha in Qassim province; Al-Leeth and Khulis in Makkah province; Al-Henakiyah in Madinah province; Sadawi in the Eastern province; and Ashyrah in Makkah province.
Together, the projects will add 3 GW of battery storage power capacity. They will be developed under a build-own-operate (BOO) model, with the selected consortium owning 100% equity in the special-purpose vehicle established for each project.
Among the qualified bidders for this round are Masdar, ACWA Power, Cox Energy, EDF, Envision Energy, KEPCO, Marubeni Corporation, Sunitomo Corporation, Tesla, TotalEnergies Renewables, and several Chinese companies, including China Longyuan Power Group, China Southern Power Grid International, and POWERCHINA. The complete list of names is available on SPPC’s website.
Each successful project developer will sign a Storage Services Agreement with SPPC. The company has not yet disclosed the contract duration for this tender.
For comparison, the first group of 4 BESS projects, tendered in November 2024 with a combined capacity of 2 GW/8 GWh, was awarded under 15-year storage service agreements. SPPC also said that qualification remains open for future solar PV, wind and energy storage projects to be tendered at a later stage.
According to SPPC, the latest battery storage tender supports Saudi Arabia's target of increasing the share of renewable energy and energy storage in its electricity mix to around 50% by 2030.
The country also aims to expand renewable energy capacity to between 100 GW and 130 GW and increase energy storage capacity to 48 GWh, based on projections from the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC).
