ACWA, Bapco Plan 2.8-GW Solar Exports to Bahrain

• ACWA Power and Bapco Energies plan 2.8 GW solar-plus-storage in Saudi’s East, exporting to Bahrain via new HV links—evening power, grid stability, and finance-ready tech for GCC’s data-hungry boom.

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and Bahrain’s Bapco Energies signed a joint development deal for up to 2.8 GW of solar with multi-hour batteries in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, exporting all output to Bahrain via new HV links. The phased project will pair storage to shape evening deliveries and stabilize the intertie.

Expect HV upgrades, new substations and long-lead transformers sequenced with generation; on-site tech will likely include bifacial modules on trackers, string inverters, grid-forming inverters and a EMS, with desert cleaning and derating strategies. Lenders will watch take‑or‑pay offtake, performance guarantees and battery warranties as GCC demand—industry and data centers—surges.

Will HVDC links, grid-forming inverters, and 4–6-hour batteries enable firm evening supply?

- Short answer: Yes—HVDC links plus grid-forming inverters and 4–6-hour batteries can reliably cover evening peaks, provided PV is oversized and reserves are planned.
- Sizing strategy: Oversize PV by roughly 1.3–1.6x relative to evening export commitments; pair with batteries sized for 4–6 hours at contracted export level plus 15–20% headroom for losses, degradation, and contingencies.
- Capacity value: Expect high evening effective load-carrying capability early on (≈60–80% of nameplate for the evening block), declining as penetration rises unless PV/storage are further oversized.
- HVDC advantage: Tight power-flow control, fast ramping and oscillation damping, minimal distance-related losses for a short submarine/overland span, and islanding support when coordinated with grid-forming controls.
- Grid-forming inverters: Establish stable voltage/frequency at the receiving end, provide virtual inertia and fast frequency response, enable black-start sequences, and improve fault ride-through on a weak grid; synchronous condensers can be added if extra short-circuit strength is required.
- Battery role: Shift midday solar to 6–10 p.m. (or similar peak window), deliver sub-second response for frequency events, and smooth intertie flows; DC-coupled designs capture clipped PV energy and reduce conversion losses.
- Reliability planning: Design for N-1 across converters, transformers, and poles; include spare transformers and modular converters; specify guaranteed ramp rates (e.g., ≥50–100 MW/min) and response times (<250 ms) in the offtake.
- Degradation and augmentation: Model heat-driven fade and throughput limits; plan staged augmentation (~10–20% over life) and set warranties for capacity retention, round-trip efficiency (≈88–92%), and availability (>98%).
- Weather and seasonal risk: Dust, haze, and heat can cut PV yield 20–40% on bad days—cover with reserve margin, short-term imports, demand response, or fast-start backup to maintain firm evening blocks during low-irradiance events.
- Operational toolkit: Forecast-driven EMS for charge/discharge optimization, reserve allocation, and HVDC setpoints; droop and inertia settings tuned to local grid codes; coordinated voltage control and harmonic filtering at both terminals.
- Limits to “firmness”: 4–6-hour batteries won’t cover multi-day shortfalls or extended evening peaks in summer without additional resources; consider 8–10-hour storage, seasonal firming, or contracted contingency supply for rare events.
- Bottom line: With proper oversizing, reserves, and grid-forming controls, the combo can deliver contract-grade evening firmness; long-duration or backup resources are still prudent for extreme or multi-day conditions.