KSA’s SPPC issues RFQs for 3.7 GW solar projects: State-owned Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) issued requests for qualifications (RFQs) for four planned solar energy projects with a combined 3.7 GW production capacity as part of the fifth round of projects under KSA’s National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), SPA reports.

More details: The solar farms include the 2 GW Al Sadawi IPP, the 1 GW Al Masa’a IPP, the 400 MW Al Henakiyah 2 IPP in Al Madinah, and the 300 MW Al Rabigh 2 IPP in Makkah, SPA notes.

SPPC just inked PPAs for the 1.5 GW fourth round of NREP: Last week, SPPC signed two 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the fourth round of solar projects under the country’s NREP, which included the 1.5 GW Al Henakiyah and Tabarjal PV plants that are expected to lure in over SAR 4 bn (c. USD 1.06 bn) in investments. Al Henakiyah is being developed in KSA’s Al Madinah by the UAE’s Masdar, France’s EDF Renewables, and Saudi Arabia’s Nesma Co., and the Tabarjal solar farm is being implemented by China’s Jinko Power, Sun Glare, and Sunlight Energy Holding.

SPPC has been busy: The company has awarded over 12.6 GW of renewable energy capacity to date as part of KSA’s target of sourcing 50% of its power mix from renewables by 2030, before becoming fully carbon neutral by 2060, SPA notes. Back in December, a JV between Acwa Power and Badeel signed a 35-year PPA with SPPC for the 2 GW Al Shuaibah 2 solar plant and earlier in 2022, SPPC announced it would offtake power from three planned wind farms that will have a combined 1.8 GW power capacity.