Kuwait is set to issue a Request for Qualification (RFQ) for a planned USD 3.9 bn 4 GW solar power project in its Shagaya region by year-end, Zawya quotes an Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy Ministry official as saying. The government plans to roll out the RFQs for the four phases of the project in succession, with the first phase set to be launched “in two to three months,” according to the official. The final RFQ will be launched by mid-2024.

The nitty gritty: The project will be divided into four phases: The first solar PV phase will have a capacity of 1.1k MWac, the second phase will be a 200 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, the third phase will have a capacity of 1.5k MWac, and the fourth and final phase will be 1,700 MWac. The specific technologies for the third and fourth phases have yet to be determined.

Everything old is new again: The Shagaya project was initially announced 10 years ago and underwent multiple changes before being shelved due to the covid-19 pandemic. However, a pilot 70 MW project was launched in February 2019, featuring 50 MW of CSP, 10 MW of wind, and 10 MW of PV located in the Shagaya desert, 100 km west of Kuwait City.