RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Energy is building two renewable energy plants on two land plots with a total area of 12 million square meters, as part of the Kingdom’s plan to generate 50 percent of its energy from renewables, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.
The plants will have a capacity of 600 megawatts and will be implemented in the Third Industrial City in Jeddah and the Industrial City in Rabigh, through the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones MODON.
The Ministry of Energy is working to diversify the energy mix to produce electricity, by increasing the share of gas and renewable energy sources in it, and is displacing liquid fuel and replacing it with natural gas.
The National Renewable Energy Program constitutes one of the main enablers to achieve the optimal energy mix and strategic objectives for the electricity sector, by creating a competitive environment that attracts private sector investments, encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors, the ministry explained.
It also consists of promoting new industry establishment for these energy technologies, and renewable energy projects, the ministry said.
This week, another Saudi renewable energy project saw a major development after a consortium led by developer ACWA Power has reached financial closure for the 1,500-megawatt Sudair solar plant, which is pegged to be the world’s largest single-contracted solar photovoltaic plant.
It will be located in Sudair Industrial City in Saudi Arabia’s north. The developer also announced that Aramco-owned SAPCO has joined the consortium, marking the oil giant’s first participation in the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s renewable energy program.
