Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (Kisr) is preparing to sign a contract in May for a 50MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant at Shagaya.

Kisr told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) that a deal would be awarded for KD116.5m ($388m), the low bid.

The frontrunner is thought to be a joint venture of Spain’s TSK Electronica and the local Kharafi National, while the second-lowest bidder is Spain’s Elecnor and the local Al-Ghanim International.

The project was retendered in 2014, after the lowest three bidders were disqualified. These included the TSK Electronica/ Kharafi National low bid of KD101.3m.

The contract was then assigned to the fourth-lowest bidder, Spain’s Cobra, which had submitted a price of KD139.1m ($494.3m). MEED reported in 2014 that the client’s reluctance to award the deal to the fourth-lowest bid resulted in the retendering of the scheme.

Kisr invited six groups to resubmit bids for the tender:

• Abener Abengoa Solar / Teyma (Spain)
• Cobra Instalaciones Y Servicios 
• Elecnor
• FCC Industrial (Spain)
• Larsen & Toubro (India)
• TSK Electronica

They submitted commercial bids on 1 March 2015.

The project is expected to be completed in 2017.

The remaining schemes in phase one of the Shagaya renewables complex are also pushing ahead. Elecnor and Al-Ghanim signed a contract worth KD7.1m to develop a 10MW wind farm at the complex on 26 March.

The 10MW photovoltaic (PV) solar plant at Shagaya is in the early stages of execution. TSK Electronica and Kharafi National signed a contract worth KD5.5m on 12 February.

Both projects are due to be completed in 2016.

Kisr highlighted to Kuna how its renewables schemes would reduce fuel consumption in the domestic market. It also committed to its second- and third-phase targets of 1,000MW in 2020 and 2,000MW in 2030 respectively, although it is unlikely these targets will be reached on schedule.