Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has announced the launch of an international tender for the development of  Bilaj Al Jazayer Independent Power Project (BAJ Solar IPP), with a planned capacity of up to 100 MWac.

A utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) facility, it will be implemented through a strategic partnership with the private sector under a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) system. 

The key solar farm is set for commercial operations on September 30 next year.

The plant will deploy proven PV technology modules supported by utility-grade inverters suitable for local conditions. The scope includes generation facilities and associated infrastructure such as access and internal roads. 

The project supports Bahrain’s national target of achieving 20% renewable energy by 2035.

The selected bidder will be responsible for the full lifecycle of the project for 25 years with the project scope, including development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance, decommissioning and site restoration.

The BAJ Solar IPP will be procured through a single-stage RFP process. All Bids will first undergo an Initial Capability Assessment against Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) covering financial capacity, experience in securing limited-recourse financing, and track record in developing large-scale solar PV projects. 

Only bidders that satisfy the MERs will proceed to detailed technical and financial evaluation in line with the criteria set out in the RFP. These are:

*Financial Capacity - (For single bidder) It must demonstrate tangible net worth of at least $50 million in the latest available audited financial statements as of the deadline for submission of bids as defined in Volume IA of this RFP.

(For a Bidding Group) - It must demonstrate Tangible Net Worth of at least the proportion of heir equity stake of $50 million. In addition, the managing member must demonstrate a tangible net worth of at least $20 million in the latest audited financial statements as of the deadline for submission of bids as defined in Volume IA of this RFP.

*Experience of successfully developing, negotiating and closing financing packages for key infrastructure projects - The bidder (or the managing member for a bidder that is a bidding group) must demonstrate that it has proven experience in securing limited-recourse financing of at least $150 million cumulatively across three or more infrastructure projects in the last 10 years preceding the deadline for submission of bids as defined in Volume IA of this RFP.

The deadline for submitting the bids has been set at March 11.-TradeArabia News Service