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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
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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.

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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.