Saudi Arabia’s 2.79-GW solar wave hits grid as projects certify

• ACWA Power has received commercial-operation certificates for three Saudi PV plants totaling 2.79 GW, with financial impact expected in the second half of 2025.

Saudi Arabia’s solar rollout took a major step forward as ACWA Power secured commercial-operation certificates across three mega-sites totaling 2.79 GW. The plants—Ar Rass 2 in Qassim, SAAD 2, and Al Kahfah in Hail—are now feeding power into the grid, with ACWA holding a 50.1% stake in each project. The company expects the commissioning to show up in second-half financials.

The trio underscores the kingdom’s shift from announcements to delivery. Each site uses desert-hardened designs—elevated trackers, robust cleaning regimes, and power-electronics tuned for heat and dust—to maximize yield in harsh conditions. With grid code compliance verified during commissioning, attention turns to ramp-up and long-term O&M: keeping soiling in check, optimizing inverter availability, and calibrating plant-level controls for reactive power and ride-through.

Strategically, the additions advance Saudi Arabia’s twin goals: lower domestic power-sector emissions and free hydrocarbons for export. They also reinforce a project-finance template—long-dated offtake, global lenders, local execution—that future phases can replicate at scale.

For the regional market, the milestone signals deepening supply-chain maturity. Standardized designs and bankable components are compressing schedules compared with first-generation plants. Expect a steady cadence of energizations as substations and lines come online to match the country’s growing queue.

If commissioning stays on track, 2025–2026 will mark a step change in the kingdom’s operating solar base—moving multi-gigawatt targets from planning documents onto the grid.