Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) is inviting bids for the construction of four battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, each designed to deliver 500MW of output and 2,000MWh of storage capacity.
These projects will be awarded through 15-year Storage Services contracts under a build-own-operate (BOO) model, with bidders maintaining full ownership via special purpose vehicle (SPV) companies.
This initiative is part of the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), overseen by the Saudi Ministry of Energy. SPPC is concurrently managing the fifth round of NREP auctions, having recently shortlisted proposals for four solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 3.6GW.
Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the country aims to achieve a 50% renewable energy share in its electricity mix by 2030. Energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud indicated a projected government expenditure of approximately US$293 billion on power and energy projects by then, focusing primarily on transmission and renewable energy.
The BESS procurement program is a step towards this goal, marking the first phase of solicitations. The four BESS locations are set: two in Makkah province, one in Qassim province, and another in Hail province.
Bidders must submit responses by midday, 25 November 2024. Participants should include both a Managing Member and a Technical Member, potentially the same entity if qualified. The Managing Member must demonstrate experience in project development, financing, or substantial involvement in independent power producer (IPP) or BESS projects.
Project involvement must include a minimum of 500MW in operational projects (or 200MWac in renewables, or 50MW in BESS projects recently) as a developer or significant shareholder within the past 15 years. Technical Members should have expertise in design, procurement, construction, and operation of conventional or renewable IPP projects or battery storage.
Financial requirements include a tangible net worth of at least US$100 million for Managing Members and US$50 million for Technical Members.
Notable large-scale battery storage projects in Saudi Arabia include the world’s largest off-grid BESS for a luxury resort on the Red Sea Coast, a 536MW/600MWh system at the Neom smart city, and a solar-plus-storage project for another megatourism development.
Additionally, Chinese manufacturer Hithium plans to establish a factory in Saudi Arabia with a 5GWh annual production capacity, in collaboration with Saudi engineering firm MANAT.
