More than 40 firms vie for Abu Dhabi solar project

10 December 2014

Noor 1 solar project will have a photovoltaic (PV) capacity of 100MW

More than 40 companies have submitted expressions of interest (EOI) for Abu Dhabi’s planned 100MW photovoltaic (PV) solar project.

According to sources close to the project, more than 40 companies submitted EOIs to the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) for the 100MW solar scheme. MEED reported in October that Masdar had revived the scheme and had invited EOIs.

According to sources close to the project, the client has not given an indication of when request for proposals (RFPs) will be issued for the EPC contract.

The project will consist of 100MW of PV panels and will be located to the east of Al-Ain city in the Al-Aflaj area. It is the first phase of three Noor solar projects, for which land has already been allocated.

The scheme was originally tendered in 2011, with a projected completion date in late 2013. However, problems arose related to Masdar’s insistence on using 50 per cent solar panels of its own manufacture. This requirement has been dropped from the new tender.

PV technology has advanced since 2011, which has brought costs down. Masdar is confident it “can secure more optimised prices” with a new round of bidding, according to a spokesperson

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