Masdar Opens New Office in Saudi Arabia With Focus On Renewable Projects

Renewable energy major Masdar had opened a new dedicated office in the Saudi Arabia to strengthen its support for the Kingdom’s clean energy objectives. Masdar will also participate with partners in the upcoming Round 4 tender announced by the Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) for wind and solar projects with a combined capacity of 3.3 gigawatts (GW).

The inauguration of the office in Riyadh was attended by UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Masdar CEO, Saudi officials and industry leaders.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Masdar, said, “Masdar is actively committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reach net zero, and the Kingdom represents a key strategic market where we have established a proven track record in developing clean energy projects. This new office will support Masdar’s ongoing growth and expansion in the Kingdom, and it will better enable us to help diversify Saudi Arabia’s energy mix and meet the ambitious renewable energy targets outlined in Vision 2030.”

The Projects In Sight 

The SPPC’s Round 4 tender will be for three wind power plants with a combined capacity of 1.8 GW, and two solar parks totaling 1.5 GW, as part of the country’s National Renewable Energy Program. Saudi Arabia is planning to generate 50 percent of its electricity from clean sources by the end of this decade, targeting 58.7

Masdar’s 400 MW Dumat Al Jandal Wind Farm – the Kingdom’s first and the largest in the Middle East – began electricity production last year that will generate clean energy to power 70,000 Saudi homes and displacing 988,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

Masdar is also developing the 300-MW South Jeddah Noor Solar Photovoltaic Plant, through a consortium led by Masdar with EDF Renewables and Nesma Company as partners. The consortium signed a 25-year PPA with SPPC last year to design, finance, build and operate the plant.

Under its Vision 2030 objectives, Saudi Arabia is also looking to explore developing the potential of the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector for solar power generation. Accordingly, Masdar sees considerable potential to target this segment through Emerge, the joint venture it established with EDF to collaborate on opportunities in distributed solar generation, energy efficiency and street lighting in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.