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State utility Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) is expected to issue the request for proposals (RFP) imminently for a contract to develop and operate the UAE capital's fourth utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project.

The planned Khazna solar independent power project (IPP), also known as PV4, will have a capacity of 1,500MW.

It will be located in Khazna, between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and is expected to reach commercial operation by 2027.  

Interested companies submitted their statements of qualifications to bid for the contract in December.

According to a source familiar with the project, the RFP for the Khazna solar IPP could be issued by the end of March or in early April. 

It is understood that Ewec has yet to issue the list of prequalified bidders.

The development of Ewec's new solar PV project aligns with the company’s strategic plan to build additional renewable energy plants that increase its total solar power generation capacity to 7.3GW by 2030, Ewec said in September of last year, when it issued the expression of interest request for the scheme.

Ewec refers to its first three utility-scale solar PV projects as PV1-3.

PV1, or Noor Abu Dhabi, has a capacity of 935MW and has been operational since 2019.

PV2, the 1,584MW Al Dhafra solar IPP, was inaugurated in November last year. 

Ewec is understood to have recently awarded the contract to develop PV3, the 1,500MW Al Ajban solar IPP, to a team led by French utility developer EDF Renewables and including South Korea's Korea Western Power Company (Kowepo).

The UAE published its updated national energy strategy in July last year, which included a plan to triple the nationwide renewable energy capacity to 19GW by 2030.

The total installed renewable energy capacity between Ewec and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) stood at about 5.5GW as of the start of 2024.