The tender process for a solar park at the Askar landfill site was launched by Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority in March 2017. Bahrain aims to cover 5% of its electricity demand with renewables by 2025. Image: abcdz2000, flickr Saudi energy company ACWA Power has won the tender held by the Kingdom of Bahrain for the construction of the country’s first large-scale PV power plants. The news was confirmed to pv magazine by Amin Al Yaquob, CEO of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Association for Renewable Energy & Sustainability. ACWA submitted the lowest bid of BD14.668/MWh ($39.1) for electricity to be generated by the project. “We are excited with the result of this tender because it will help in establishing the market of more utility-scale solar projects in the near future,” said Al Yaquob. The Saudi company will build the plant as an independent power producer on a build, own, operate model at the Askar landfill site, in Bahrain’s southern governorate. The project was launched as part of Bahrain’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan, in September 2017. Bahrain aims to bring online 255 MW of PV capacity by 2025 using net metering, the above-mentioned tender and a renewable energy mandate for new buildings. In mid-January, the Solar Energy Unit of Bahrain – with the help of the United Nations Development Program – launched a 3 MW tender for solar arrays at eight locations containing 66 government buildings. The kingdom’s renewable energy target envisages 700 MW of generation capacity by 2030 using solar, wind and energy-from-waste projects. Emiliano joined pv magazine in March 2017. He has been reporting on solar and renewable energy since 2009. More articles from Emiliano Bellini
Saudi Arabian energy company ACWA Power has secured the Kingdom of kingdom's tender to construct a large-scale solar power plant. ACWA will construct the plant on a build, own, operate basis as an independent power producer. The tender forms part of kingdom's National Renewable Energy Action Plan that aims to establish 255 MW of solar capacity by 2025 through net metering, the ACWA facility and a renewable energy policy for new builds. The Bahrain is targeting 700 MW of renewable capacity from wind, solar and energy-to-waste projects by 2030.