Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) invites Request for Qualification (RFQ) for Group 1 Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) having Combined Capacity of 2,000 MW across Saudi Arabia on build, own and operate (BOO) model.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) plant will provide Load Shifting as main application while providing Black start, Frequency regulation and voltage support application through a selectable part of the system’s total capacity for the network at their respective Point of Interconnection (POI).

Following are the project locations:

• 500MW/ 2000MWh Al-Muwaih BESS to be located approximately 180 km Northeast of Taif, in the Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia
• 500MW/ 2000MWh Haden BESS to be located approximately 93 km Northeast of Taif, in the Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia
• 500MW/ 2000MWh Khushaybi BESS to be located approximately 6.7 kms south of Al Khushaybi and 45 km south of Ar Rass, in the Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia
• 500MW/ 2000MWh Kahafah BESS to be located approximately 135 km south of Hail, in the Hail Province, Saudi Arabia

The BESS is expected to replace part load operation of existing power plants by charging & discharging according to the system load variations, primary & secondary reserve and shall also operate to provide voltage and frequency regulations.

Each project will be developed under a build-own-operate (BOO) model, with the successful bidder holding 100 per cent equity in the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up to develop and operate the Independent Storage Provider (ISP) project. Each SPV will enter into a 15-year Storage Services Agreement with SPPC.

As part of Vision 2030, KSA aims to supply 50% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and has set a clear plan to transition its energy mix towards solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. To date over 10,100 MWac of renewable energy (solar PV and wind energy) projects have already been tendered on a competitive basis in KSA