A consortium led by Masdar with EDF Renewables and Nesma Company as partners is developing the 300-megawatt (MW) utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Jeddah.
The Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy awarded the consortium the 300 MW Jeddah project, after it had submitted the most cost-competitive bid of SAR60.9042 (US$16.24) per megawatt hour.
The consortium signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) this January for the project. Under the terms of the PPA, the consortium will design, finance, build and operate the plant, which will be located in Third Jeddah Industrial City, 50km south-east of Jeddah. Construction began in April 2021 and the plant is expected to begin operation in 2022.
The Jeddah solar plant will utilize the latest technology in the PV market, combining bifacial PV modules with mounting structures that use single-axis tracking technology to maximize energy generation by following the sun’s position throughout the day.