Moroccan Solar Agency (Masen) has again extended the submission date for the contract to develop its first major photovoltaic (PV) solar independent power project (IPP).

Developers vying for the Noor PV 1 solar project now have until 23 May to submit bids, with the deadline having been extended from 9 May. This is the second time the submission date has been pushed back. The original bid deadline was 18 April.

MEED reported in January that 20 groups had been prequalified to participate in the tender.

The Noor PV 1 project will have a total capacity of 135-170MW, and will located over three sites: Ouarzazate, Laayoune and Boujdour. Masen has already awarded contracts for more than 500MW of concentrated solar power (CSP) schemes, for the Noor 1, 2 and 3 schemes, at the Ouarzazate site.

The Noor PV 1 project is part of Masen’s ambitious programme, which is targeting 2,000MW of solar energy by 2020, a third of the country’s 6,000MW renewables target in this period.

In January 2015, Masen awarded a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power the deal to develop the estimated $2bn Noor 2 and 3 solar schemes. The CSP projects, which are part of the Ouarzazate solar complex in the southern-central region of the country, will have a combined total capacity of 350MW.

Acwa Power was the low bidder for both projects. For the Noor 2 scheme, the Acwa Power team submitted the low tariff price of 16 cents a kilowatt hour (kWh). The consortium led by Spain’s Abengoa submitted a tariff price 10.5 per cent higher, while UK/French Engie submitted a tariff 24 per cent higher than Acwa Power’s price.

For the Noor 2 combined tariff, including Noor 3, Acwa Power submitted the lowest tariff, with a price of 15.7 cents a kWh. Abengoa submitted a proposal that was 11.9 per cent higher, while the GDF Suez consortium’s tariff was 23.6 per cent higher.

Acwa Power is already developing the first phase of the Ouarzazate scheme. The firm was awarded the contract in late 2012 to develop the project under a contract tariff of 18.9 cents a kWh, at the time the lowest-ever tariff selected for CSP technology. The Acwa Power team signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the first phase, which will be worth an estimated total of $1.1bn over the period.