Kuwait is set to advance its long-awaited 4-gigawatt (GW) Shagaya solar power project, with the Request for Qualification (RFQ) for various phases scheduled for release by the end of this year, according to a senior official.

The Shagaya project, tendered as an Independent Power Project (IPP), aims to connect all its phases to the grid by 2027-28, marking a crucial step toward enhancing Kuwait’s renewable energy capacity. MEWRE will serve as the off-taker for the electricity generated.

Phase 1 of the Shagaya project, comprising 1,100 MWac, will fully utilise photovoltaic (PV) solar technology, with the RFQ document ready for release in the coming months, said Gannam Al Ajmi, Project Engineer at the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy (MEWRE).

RFP for 200 MW of CSP for Kuwait

Phase 2, on the other hand, will involve a 200 MW Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant with approximately five hours of storage capacity, and the Request for Proposal (RFP) process is already underway.

In a strategic shift, Kuwait decided to focus on CSP and PV solar technologies, discarding wind due to inefficiencies during peak demand hours.

Phase 3, set at 1,500 MWac, and the final phase, totaling 1,700 MWac, will see RFP releases by mid-next year, bringing the project closer to its ultimate completion.

The Shagaya project, initially announced a decade ago, faced delays and configuration changes, partially due to the impact of Covid-19.

However, a pilot 70 MW project, comprising 50 MW CSP, 10 MW wind, and 10 MW PV, began commercial operations in February 2019, serving as a promising precursor to the larger-scale initiative.