Saudi Arabia’s Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) has issued a request for qualification (RFQ) for a 400MW wind project to be constructed in the city of Dumat Al Jandal.
The RFQ is scheduled for closing on August 10th.
After the stage of RFQ, qualified companies will either proceed to the next stage, where they become ‘managing members’ or ‘technical members’ or both based on their prior experience in delivering independent power producing projects of this scale, REPDO stated.
REPDO is part of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.
The wind project is considered to be the first utility scale wind project in the country and is part of the first round of the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP).
This announcement follows the country’s previous tender to construct a 300MW solar PV project in Sakaka in this April. REPDO stated that the RFQs are part of its plans to tender 700MW in round one this year.
Saudi Arabia Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih said: “The National Renewable Energy Program is a long, and systematic path to energy and economic diversification for Saudi Arabia, and a cornerstone of the Ministry’s contribution to Vision 2030.“
“As we enter the second half of 2017, we remain committed to ensuring our ambitious program remains on track to deliver the value and opportunities targeted by the program.
“The release of Dumat Al Jandal RFQ, and upcoming RFP next month, ensures that we remain on course to tender 700MW in round one this year. It establishes a foundation that supports our success towards our 2020 and 2023 interim targets.”
As per NREP, it plans to produce 9.5GW of renewable energy 2023 to support the country’s Vision 2030 and it includes 3.5GW of renewable energy capacity by 2020 under the National Transformation Program (NTP).
Image: Saudi Arabia issues tender for 400MW wind project. Photo: Courtesy of Steve Ralston/FreeImages.com.