Kuwait Extends Bid Deadline for 500 MW Solar Project Under Al-Dibdibah Phase 3

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE), in collaboration with the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp), has extended the deadline for firms to prequalify for the second zone of the third phase of its flagship Al-Dibdibah and Al-Shagaya renewable energy project.

Interested utility-scale developers now have until 21 August to submit their statements of qualification for the 500MW solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power project (IPP). The deadline was previously set for 24 July.

Located in the Jahra Governorate, west of Kuwait City, the Zone Two project is expected to be half the capacity of the 1.1GW Zone One, which is currently under separate development. The winning bidder or consortium will undertake the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project under a long-term concession. A 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) will be signed with MEWRE, with the power output to be fed into Kuwait’s national grid and transmission network.

The client is being advised by a consortium of international firms, including London-based consultancy EY, legal advisor DLA Piper, and Norwegian engineering firm DNV, replicating the advisory team structure seen in Zone One.

This project is part of Kuwait’s broader strategy to install 22,100MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, as outlined in its 20-year energy roadmap launched in March 2024. The strategy runs through 2050 and includes large-scale PV projects as well as rooftop solar initiatives, with the government committing to purchase the generated electricity.

Kuwait’s Minister of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy, Salem Falah Al-Hajraf, recently reaffirmed the country’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2060, with solar power playing a key role in the national decarbonization plan.