Saudi Arabia Reveals Bidders for 3rd Phase of Renewable Energy Projects

A solar plant is seen in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
A solar plant is seen in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
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Saudi Arabia Reveals Bidders for 3rd Phase of Renewable Energy Projects

A solar plant is seen in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
A solar plant is seen in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced the list of bidders of 1,200 MW Saudi renewable energy projects, consisting of four independent generation projects (IPP).

This phase consists of four independent solar photovoltaic generation projects with a total capacity of 1,200 megawatts, divided into two categories.

In a statement, the ministry said that the first category consists of the Wadi Al-Dawasir project with a capacity of 120 MW and the Laila project with a capacity of 80 MW.

The second category consists of the Al-Rass project with a capacity of 700 MW and the Saad project with a capacity of 300 MW.

The ministry added that a Request for Proposal brochure was issued for the two category B projects on April 8, 2020, and the two category A projects on April 22, 2020. Three bids were submitted for each of the four projects during the second quarter of 2021.

The winning bids will sign power purchase agreements for a period of 25 years with the Saudi Energy Procurement Company. ACWA Power, French Total Solar Company and AlFanar Energy Company were among the bidders.

All four projects are required to comply with local content requirements based on the mechanisms identified by the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority, the ministry underlined.

This comes as part of the efforts of the Ministry of Energy to achieve the objectives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ renewable energy initiative.

The initiative aims to increase the percentage of renewable energy to reach the optimal mix, raise the efficiency of the electricity sector, and achieve environmental goals by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, as well as the economic goals of reducing dependence on liquid fuels in electricity production.



Saudi Arabia's Arab League Trade Exceeds SAR87 Billion in Q4 2024

 The Kingdom's trade surplus with Arab League countries, including the GCC, significantly increased to SAR30,461 billion in Q4 2024 -File Photo
The Kingdom's trade surplus with Arab League countries, including the GCC, significantly increased to SAR30,461 billion in Q4 2024 -File Photo
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Saudi Arabia's Arab League Trade Exceeds SAR87 Billion in Q4 2024

 The Kingdom's trade surplus with Arab League countries, including the GCC, significantly increased to SAR30,461 billion in Q4 2024 -File Photo
The Kingdom's trade surplus with Arab League countries, including the GCC, significantly increased to SAR30,461 billion in Q4 2024 -File Photo

Saudi Arabia's trade with Arab League nations, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), reached SAR87,768 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, representing 17.2% of the Kingdom's total global trade of SAR510,974 billion. This trade volume demonstrates a 6.2% annual growth rate, exceeding the Q4 2023 figure of SAR82,679 billion by over SAR5 billion, SPA reported.
According to the General Authority for Statistics' quarterly International Trade Bulletin, the Kingdom's trade surplus with Arab League countries, including the GCC, significantly increased to SAR30,461 billion in Q4 2024, up from SAR22,185 billion in the same period of 2023, marking a 37.3% annual growth.
Saudi Arabia's total exports to Arab League countries amounted to SAR59,114 billion. Of this, SAR39,507 billion were destined for GCC nations, accounting for 14.2% of the Kingdom's total global exports of SAR277,932 billion. Exports to non-GCC Arab League countries reached SAR19,607 billion, representing 7.1% of total exports.
Saudi Arabia's imports from Arab League countries totaled SAR28,653 billion, or 12.3% of total imports. Within this, SAR18,354 billion came from GCC countries, and SAR10,298 billion from other Arab League nations. The Kingdom's total global imports were SAR233,042 billion.
The United Arab Emirates emerged as Saudi Arabia's top Arab export destination in Q4 2024, with exports exceeding SAR23,512 billion. Bahrain followed with SAR8,423 billion, Egypt with SAR8,353 billion, Oman with SAR4,434 billion, and Jordan with SAR2,999 billion.