The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has partnered with China’s BYD Energy Storage to construct the world’s largest grid-scale energy storage project in Saudi Arabia. BYD is set to supply an impressive 12.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity.
BYD announced that their MC Cube-T Energy Storage System, utilizing advanced Cell-to-System (CTS) technology, will be a key component of this project. The technology boasts a Vcts index surpassing 33 percent, highlighting its efficiency. However, the cost and completion date remain undisclosed. This deal, along with a previous 2.6GWh project, increases SEC’s total contracted storage capacity with BYD to 15.1GWh.
In early 2025, reports indicated the plan includes installing five units of 500 Megawatt (MW)/2,500 Megawatt-hours (MWh) storage systems across various locations including Riyadh and Al Jouf. This initiative represents the third phase of SEC’s energy storage strategy, following BYD’s initial contract and Sungrow’s 7.8 GWh agreement in July 2024.
The earlier 2.6GWh project was completed under an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract by a consortium led by the State Grid Corporation of China and local firm Alfanar Projects.
In a broader context, Saudi Arabia is ambitiously targeting 48GWh of battery storage by 2030, with 26 GWh of BESS projects already signed by November 2024, according to Zawya Projects. Additionally, the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) recently prequalified 33 companies for the First Group of BESS projects with a combined capacity of 8 GWh.
Meanwhile, in the UAE, Masdar has initiated a groundbreaking 24/7 solar PV and BESS project in Abu Dhabi, marking another significant advancement in the region’s clean energy efforts.
