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Abu Dhabi-based utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of the Madinat Zayed independent power producer (IPP) project.

The new open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) plant is located in the Madinat Zayed area, approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city.

It will have a power generation capacity of 1.5GW.

Ewec expects to receive bids for the project by the fourth quarter of the year.

The Madinat Zayed IPP is planned to begin commercial operations in Q3 2027, providing up to 1.5GW of backup generation, which can be operational at very short notice. 

"Gas-fired plants like Madinat Zayed are key to ensuring a reliable energy supply while the country transitions to a decarbonised water and electricity system," Ewec said in a statement on 29 July.

"These types of plants will be particularly important for supporting the growth of solar power, providing crucial flexibility during peak power demand periods and acting as a bridge to a future powered exclusively by clean and renewable sources."

Ewec issued the RFP for the Madinat Zayed IPP four days after it tendered the contract to develop a 400MW battery energy storage system IPP and five days after it floated a tender for the development of the 2.5GW Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine plant.