Abu Dhabi, UAE –– Masdar is setting up a base in Saudi Arabia to strengthen its presence in the kingdom’s renewable energy market.
Masdar will also participate with partners in the upcoming Round 4 tender announced by the Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) for wind and solar projects with a combined capacity of 3.3 gigawatts (GW).
The inauguration event, located in the capital Riyadh, was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with representatives from Masdar partners, Saudi government officials, and industry leaders.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar was also present, along with other Masdar executives, who were also participating in the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.
“The UAE and Saudi Arabia remain keen to strengthen strategic cooperation and leverage joint resources and capabilities,” the UAE ambassador said on the occasion. “We are committed as countries and peoples to cooperating in this regard, not only for the benefit of our countries but also for the region and world at large.”
Al Ramahi said: “Masdar is actively committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reach net zero, and the Kingdom represents a key strategic market where we have established a proven track record in developing clean energy projects”.
He added that the new office will support Masdar’s ongoing growth in the Kingdom.
“It will better enable us to help diversify Saudi Arabia’s energy mix and meet the ambitious renewable energy targets outlined in Vision 2030,”Al Ramahi said. “We look forward to working with our partners to continue to deliver world-class clean energy projects in Saudi.”
Abdulaziz Omar Al Mubarak, General Manager of Masdar in Saudi Arabia, said that establishing a physical office further demonstrates their commitment to Saudi Arabia and help ensure they are aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
“The Saudi office will not only look over our existing assets, but it will also play a key role in developing future pipeline projects here,” Al Mubarak said. “Masdar is committed to providing best-in-class services and solutions – whether that be providing utility-scale projects or solutions for commercial and industrial customers looking to offset or reduce their energy bills.”
The SPPC’s Round 4 tender will be for three wind power plants with a combined capacity of 1.8 GW, and two solar parks totaling 1.5 GW, as part of the country’s National Renewable Energy Programme.
Saudi Arabia plans to generate 50 percent of its electricity from clean sources by the end of this decade, targeting 58.7 GW from renewable sources.
The world’s biggest oil exporter has also pledged to cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2060, with plans to invest more than US$180 billion to reach that goal.
Masdar is already generating 400-megawatt (MW) Dumat Al Jandal Wind Farm – the Kingdom’s first and the largest in the Middle East – having begun electricity production last year.
Developed by a consortium of Masdar and EDF Renewables with Nesma Company, once fully operational Dumat Al Jandal will generate enough clean energy to power 70,000 Saudi homes while displacing 988,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
Masdar is also developing the 300-MW South Jeddah Noor Solar Photovoltaic Plant, through a consortium led by Masdar with EDF Renewables and Nesma Company as partners. The consortium signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SPPC last year to design, finance, build and operate the plant, which will be located in Third Jeddah Industrial City, 50km south-east of Jeddah.
Under its Vision 2030 objectives, Saudi Arabia is also looking to explore developing the potential of the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector for solar power generation.
Masdar sees considerable potential to target this segment through Emerge, the joint venture it established with EDF to collaborate on opportunities in distributed solar generation, energy efficiency and street lighting in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Emerge is actively developing multiple off-grid and on-grid projects, which will be streamlined once approved by the Saudi Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority (WERA)..