The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of the 1.5GW plant. Credit:

The Government of Kuwait has reportedly cancelled its plans to build Al-Dabdaba solar plant because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) was due to complete the project by February next year, Reuters reported. However, the proposal was delayed due to bureaucratic procedures.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The decision to cancel it was announced by the government after a virtual cabinet meeting on 13 July.

The news agency quoted the government as saying in a statement: “The cabinet decided to cancel the decisions on the project due to the spread of coronavirus and its impacts on the global oil and financial markets.”

The project would have covered 32km2 within the Al-Shikaya Complex for Renewable Energy, located 100km (62 miles) west of Kuwait City.

In September 2018, KNPC launched a 1.5GW tender for the Al-Dabdaba solar project. It was originally intended to be developed in five different blocks, with 300MW capacity each.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

This capacity would have meant the Al-Dabdaba solar plant met 15% of the oil sector’s electrical energy needs.

According to Kuwait’s Alrai newspaper, the lowest bid for the project was KWD439m ($1.4bn).

If completed, it would have supplied renewable power to KNPC under a 25-year agreement.

By 2030, Kuwait has set a target to generate 15% of its energy through renewable sources.

The Kuwaiti cabinet statement said that the government’s decision to cancel the solar power project will contribute to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation “focusing on its priorities for the coming stage and maintaining its position in the global oil markets.”