LONGi, a world-leading solar technology company, has been awarded a module supply contract for the 400MW (DC) Rabigh Solar PV IPP (independent power project) project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

 

The plant, expected to be commercially operational in July 2023, is located in Rabigh Industrial City, in the kingdom's western Makkah Province, some 150 km from Jeddah, and will exclusively deploy LONGi Hi-MO 5(72C) modules.

 

LONGi was awarded the deal via its EPC (engineering procurement construction) contractor, China Energy Engineering Group, Guangdong Power Engineering Company (GPEC). The awarding ceremony in Riyadh was attended by LONGi and its partner GTek Solar (Green Technology Company).

 

PPA agreement

In 2021, Japan's Marubeni Corporation announced that it had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the Rabigh project with the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), with the latter committing to the purchase of power produced for a period of 25 years following the project's Commercial Operation Date (COD).

 

The COD is forecast to take place in July 2023 and will be Marubeni's first large-scale solar project in Saudi Arabia and its fourth in the Mena region. It was selected in 2020 by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) financing programme, a venture resulting from cooperation between the Saudi and Japanese governments.

 

Guo Huojin, General Manager of GPEC, said at the ceremony: “Under Vision 2030, the Rabigh project represents a new chapter for us in attracting projects in Saudi Arabia and it is important that we now deliver a high-quality project to our client, in close collaboration with our partners LONGi and GTek. We look forward to building a long-term strategic partnership between our three companies.”

 

Sustainable future

Omar Alluhaydan, GTek Solar CEO, added: “Signing up for the Rabigh project is another step towards a sustainable future with our partners, while helping achieve Vision 2030's objective of increasing the contribution of renewable energy.”

 

Jia Chao, LONGi VP for MEA and CA, concluded: “Saudi Arabia is at the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, leading investment capabilities and sustainable Vision 2030 ambitions. LONGi, GPEC and GTek will work together to win and build more mega projects to drive the Saudi energy transformation, in order to accomplish the kingdom's vision of renewables contributing up to 50% of the total energy mix by 2030.”-- TradeArabia News Service