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Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) started one-on-one clarification meetings on 21 August with the consortiums that submitted proposals to develop four gas-fired independent power projects (IPP) with a total combined capacity of 7,200MW in Saudi Arabia.

Four utility developer consortiums proposed to develop the Qassim 2 and Taiba 2 IPP projects in late July, and the Qassim 1 and Taiba 1 IPP projects on 15 August, as MEED reported.

Each of the four schemes will have the capacity to generate 1,800MW of electricity.

According to industry sources, the four consortiums vying to win at least one of the four contracts comprise:

• Acwa Power (local) / Saudi Electricity Company (local)
• Taqa (UAE) / Jera (Japan)
• Nebras (Qatar) / Marafiq (local) / Kepco (South Korea)
• AlJomaih (local) / EDF (France) / Sojitz (Japan) 

The offtaker qualified over 20 companies to bid for the contracts, as MEED reported in February.

Packaged initially as two individual IPPs, each with a capacity of 3,600MW, the two projects have been split into four smaller schemes.

Taiba IPP

The 3,600MW Taiba IPP, the first of two original schemes to be launched last year, received a single bid in November last year.

A team comprising Saudi utility developer Acwa Power and Abu Dhabi National Energy (Taqa) is understood to have submitted a bid for the contract on 28 November.

Another consortium containing Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and Qatar’s Nebras Power was expected to bid, but declined to submit, according to industry sources.

These are the first gas-fired power generation plants to be procured since 2016, when Saudi Arabia awarded the 1,500MW Fadhili IPP to a consortium led by France’s Engie.

UAE-headquartered Cranmore Partners is the client’s financial adviser for the project. 

Germany’s Fichtner Consulting and UK-based Linklaters have been appointed as technical and legal advisers, respectively.