Utility EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company) has launched an RFP for a 400MW BESS project to be built to support the grid in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
EWEC is seeking qualified developers and their consortiums to submit firm proposals for a 400MW/800MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in the emirate, the capital of the UAE.
It follows its call for expressions of interest (EOI) in building the project earlier this year, which saw 27 parties qualified for the RFP out of a total 93 EOIs submitted. Parties have until the fourth quarter of 2024 to submit their response to the RFP.
The BESS will provide ancillary services, such as, frequency response and voltage control to help EWEC balance the grid as it increases its solar capacity to 7.5GW by 2030.
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EWEC said the project will follow the model of the emirate’s existing Independent Power Producer (IPP) programme, where developers enter into a long-term agreement with EWEC as procurer.
Deploying the project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance, and ownership of the BESS system and all associated infrastructure.
EWEC didn’t say when it expects the project to come online but has previously said the emirate needs 300MW/300MWh of energy storage online by 2026 to integrate its growing renewable generation portfolio, possibly giving an indication to the timeline for this project too.
Neighbouring emirate Dubai has been notably more quiet for large-scale BESS announcements in recent years. The last piece Energy-Storage.news published looking at it in 2021 covered a 8.61MWh system deployed by EWEC’s equivalent there Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) using Tesla batteries. A large pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) is however underway, set to enter commercial operation this year.
