Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry has invited bids for a 400-MW wind power plant to be built in northwestern Saudi Arabia. According to the press release, the Dumat Al Jandal wind power plant will be the first utility-scale wind project in the Kingdom. The plant’s construction is part of a large-scale program to shift away from the Kingdom’s heavy reliance on oil and gas, stipulated in the Vision 2030 initiative. The shift from fossil fuels to renewables will cost some US$50 billion, to be distributed over the next decade. Plans are to have a tenth of the Kingdom’s power generated by renewable energy sources by 2023. This means 9.5 GW of installed capacity needs to be built by that year. Interested companies will have until August 10 to present their qualifications to the ministry. On August 29, the ministry will start the process for request for proposals, which will continue […]