Saudi Arabia Turns On Al-Shuaibah 2.6 GW Solar, the Largest in Middle-East

On 22 May 2025, Saudi Arabia successfully turned on the Al-Shuaibah Solar Project, located some 80 kilometers south of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With a total capacity of 2.6 GW, it becomes the largest PV facility in the Middle-East.

The Project was a partnership among ACWA Power, China Energy (CEEC), and the Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel). The installation of more than five million PV panels took just eight months.

The solar farm employs cutting-edge N-type bifacial #PV modules and incorporates single-axis solar tracking systems to maximize efficiency and output. It also integrates the latest digital technologies to operation and control of the generation and inversion. The PV modules are kept clean from the desert dust by intelligent specialized wipers.

During its operational lifetime of 35 years, it is projected to produce 282 billion kWh of electricity. The solar farm will offset nearly 20 million #tCO2 annually, which is equivalent to the carbon fixation capacity of 545 million trees.

The Al-Shuaibah Solar Project is in line with #SaudiArabiaVision2030 which has as one of its strategic goals to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, to boost the #EnergyTransition, and to achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (#NDC). Saudi Arabia plans to invest approximately USD 8.3 billion to develop 15 GW of renewable energy projects by 2030. Seven PV projects are already in the pipeline, including (i) Bisha 3GW, (ii) Humaij 3GW, (iii) Khulis 2GW, (iv) Afif I 2G, (v) Afif II 2GW, (vi) Starah 2GW, and (vii) Shaqra 1 GW.