The Renewable Energy Project Development Office of Saudi Arabia (REPDO) published the "Saudi Arabia's Renewable Energy Program 2030" earlier on January 9th, the country's renewables target for 2023 has been revised up from 9.5 GW to 27.3 GW, and that for 2030 set at 58.7 GW, of which 40GW PV, 16GW Wind and 2.7GW CSP.

As the above picture shows, the renewable projects will be deployed in 35+ parks spread across the Kingdom,  and 4 of them will take concentrated solar power (CSP) technology.

To date, some 11 solar projects with a combined capacity of 2,225 MW are set to be tendered this year. The largest of them is the Alfaisalia project, with a capacity of 600 MW. REPDO is intending to tender another four projects with an installed capacity of 300 MW each named Rabigh, Jeddah, Alras and Saad.

And the tendering plan for 2019 includes a further six projects: Qurrayat – with a 200 MW capacity; another with the same name but 40 MW; Wadi Adwawser (70 MW); Madinah (50 MW); Rafha (45 MW); and Mahad Dahab (20 MW).

Click to get the full Report: Overview of Saudi Arabia's Renewable Energy Program 2030.

The new tendering scheme for 2019 – which is intended to include part of the 3.3 GW of solar projects REPDO failed to tender last year – was to be announced after new targets for solar and renewables were set. Those new targets have also been announced.

Through its first series of tenders for solar and wind, finalized last year, REPDO allocated 700 MW of renewable energy generation capacity, comprised of 400 MW of wind and 300 MW solar – the latter consisting of the Sakaka PV project. Awarded in February to Saudi energy company ACWA, the project recently attracted $320 million in financing from French financial services provider Natixis.

With 11 solar tenders planned for this year, Saudi Arabia may be raising its game in the solar market.

And for CSP niche, together with countries like UAE, Morocco, the planning of 2.7GW in 2030 in KSA will make Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region the leading CSP market globally.

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