Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to Finance Solar Project in Uzbekistan

Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, with representatives of financing companies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, with representatives of financing companies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to Finance Solar Project in Uzbekistan

Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, with representatives of financing companies (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, with representatives of financing companies (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi-listed ACWA Power, the world's largest private water desalination company, has signed financing agreements for Tashkent’s Riverside power plant in Uzbekistan.

The greenfield development will involve the development of a 200MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and a 500MWh BESS that will serve to stabilize the Uzbek grid, ACWA Power said Monday.

The total investment cost of the project is 2 billion Saudi Riyals, according to a statement issued by ACWA Power to the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

Clean energy specialist, ACWA Power, said it wholly owns the Riverside Power Station project in Tashkent.

It added that ACWA Power Riverside Solar Energy Holding secured 1.4 billion Saudi Riyals for 19 years with the aim of developing, financing, designing, constructing and operating the power plant.

The funding it secured was provided by a consortium of development finance institutions, funds and international commercial lenders including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Proparco, DEG, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Standard Chartered Bank and KFW-IPEX Bank.

“In a world that is looking for greater participation of private capital in emerging markets to support growth and decarbonization, Uzbekistan is a case study under the vision and leadership of its Government and lenders like EBRD, DEG, Islamic Development Bank, Proparco, KfW-IPEX Bank and Standard Chartered,” said Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power Marco Arcelli.

He added that the agreement for the Tashkent Riverside project reflects the strong trust placed in ACWA Power as the private sector partner, and one of the global leaders in renewables and energy storage.

“This trust is built on our unparalleled track record and we look forward to the successful execution of this new project to contribute to the country's ambitious low carbon future,” Arcelli added.

Nandita Parshad, Managing Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Group at EBRD, said: “We are proud to partner with ACWA Power and co-financiers on the pioneering Tashkent Solar PV and energy storage project in Uzbekistan, the largest of its kind in Central Asia.”

“The project is core to Uzbekistan's ambition to install 25GW of renewables by 2030. This project can power 170,000 households and the battery storage capacity is equivalent to 8000 electric vehicles.”

The project will play an instrumental role in achieving Uzbekistan's ambitious targets to transition to a low-carbon economy as well as diversify its energy sources.

By 2030, Uzbekistan is aiming to generate 40% of its electricity from renewables.

The BESS will help to mitigate the effects of intermittency that are inherent in renewable energy sources, storing excess electricity generated during times of high production and make it available during periods of low production. This will ensure a constant and reliable supply of electricity to the grid, ultimately helping to meet the growing demand for energy in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is ACWA Power's second-largest market in terms of investments, underscoring the company's long-standing commitment to the country. The company's current portfolio in Uzbekistan now comprises 11.6GW of power, of which 10.1GW is renewable, as well as the Republic's first green hydrogen project, with a capacity of 3,000 tons per year.

ACWA Power has recently signed a landmark $4.85 billion power purchase agreement (PPA) with the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan for Central Asia's largest wind farm -- the Aral 5GW Wind Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in the Karakalpakstan region.



Positive Outlook for Saudi Stock Market Next Week

A trader monitors the screen at the Saudi Exchange in Riyadh. (AFP)
A trader monitors the screen at the Saudi Exchange in Riyadh. (AFP)
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Positive Outlook for Saudi Stock Market Next Week

A trader monitors the screen at the Saudi Exchange in Riyadh. (AFP)
A trader monitors the screen at the Saudi Exchange in Riyadh. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) ended the second week of March with a slight decline for the third consecutive week, closing down 0.73% at 11,725.88 points, compared to the previous week's close of 11,811.11 points.

In an analysis of the market performance during the week ending March 13, Dr. Suleiman Al-Humaid Al-Khalidi, a financial market analyst, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the market experienced a sharp decline not seen in years, coinciding with a drop in global markets, particularly in the US, where $2 trillion in value was wiped out in a single day.

This accounted for roughly 60% of the total market value of the Saudi stock market.

Al-Khalidi noted that the key player in the Saudi market is the banking sector, especially Al-Rajhi Bank's shares, which showed resilience and did not follow the downward trend. This was attributed to the strong profits reported by the banking sector in 2024.

The primary factors contributing to the market’s decline include global economic pressures, particularly US tariffs on most global economies, ongoing global uncertainty, and the Federal Reserve's tight monetary policies, he explained.

These factors have significantly impacted liquidity flows into financial markets. Additionally, fluctuations in global oil prices, despite recent stability, have also played a role.

This downturn has been accompanied by caution among sovereign wealth funds, investment institutions, and some portfolios in injecting new liquidity or altering their positions until there is more clarity in the financial markets, he went on to say.

Moreover, Al-Khalidi said that the Saudi stock market has not accurately reflected the true strength and size of the Saudi economy, which has grown to SAR 4 trillion, up from SAR 600 billion in 2016, before the launch of Vision 2030.

Additionally, the country’s GDP has reached approximately $1.1 trillion.

Looking ahead to the market's performance in the coming week, he noted that there are strong support levels at 11,550 points, followed by 11,450 points.

These levels could help shift the market toward an upward trajectory and better reflect the robust growth of the Saudi economy.

Al-Khalidi emphasized that the banking and energy sectors could play a leading role in driving the market higher, pushing the index beyond this week’s closing levels.

He also pointed out that some stocks are hitting new lows, presenting significant investment opportunities for those seeking safe havens with steady returns in the Saudi market.