The Federal Electricity & Water Authority (Fewa), the utility provider for the UAE’s northern emirates, is preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for its planned 1.8GW coal-fired power plant by the end of the third week of November.

According to sources close to the project, Fewa had been planning to issue the RFP by the end of October, but due to some delays is now planning to issue tenders by the end of November. MEED reported earlier in October that seven potential bidders had been issued EoI documents by the utility. The client is currently finalising the prequalification list, with the process to be completed in the next few days.

The advisory team for the project is led by the UK’s Deloitte (financial adviser), with the local office of Austria’s ILF Consulting Engineers as technical consultant and the UK’s Trowers & Hamlins as legal adviser.

MEED reported in May that Fewa had selected a site in Ras al-Khaimah for the facility, which will be developed using an independent power project (IPP) model. The site is reportedly located within Ras al-Khaimah Maritime City.

The IPP will be the second major coal-fired power plant in the UAE, with the GCC’s first coal power plant under execution in Dubai.

In November 2016, a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power and China’s Harbin Electric started construction work on the 2,400MW Hassyan coal-fired power plant in Dubai.