Contractors are still working on proposals for the 3,780MW Taiba integrated solar combined-cycle (ISCC) power plant.

The client, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), extended the bid submission date for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the plant to 16 November, although it may be extended again.

There has been speculation in the market that the procurement model for the Taiba project may be switched to an EPC-plus finance or even independent power project (IPP) model as a result of Riyadh cutting capital expenditure programmes as a result of the fall in oil revenues. However, according to sources close to the scheme, no decision to switch the model has been made yet, with bidders still working on proposals.

“The client has received bids for the gas turbines component,” says a source close to the scheme. 

The project is part of the kingdom’s programme to boost capacity to meet the rapidly rising demand for power, which is expected to increase from the current 62GW to 120GW by 2030.

On 10 November, SEC invited developers to submit expressions of interest (EoIs) for the planned 5,400MW PP15 project, which will be developed under the IPP model.