Saudi Arabia is sticking to its announced timeline by issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) for the first round of the national renewable energy programme (NREP).
The Renewable Energy Project Development Office, a newly created body of the kingdom's energy ministry launched its first RFQ for companies interested in bidding for 700 megawatts of solar and wind energy projects.
“This marks the starting point of a long and sustained programme of renewable energy deployment in Saudi Arabia, that will not only diversify our power mix but also catalyse economic development and support long-term prosperity in line with Vision 2030 goals, which include creating a new renewable industry and support the build-up of this promising sector,” said Khalid Al Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister.
This RFQ will choose companies that are pre-qualified, or able to move on to the next stage, which is the Request for Proposals slated for April.
For this, selected firms will gain access to the site assessments that have been carried out for both the Sakaka and Midyan areas, which will house 300MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) and a 400MW wind project respectively.
For any company whose pre-qualification application is unsuccessful as either a manager or technical role in the first round will still remain eligible to participate in future projects under the NREP, which will ultimately target 9.5 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2023.
“It is our goal to make the national renewable energy programme among the most attractive, competitive and well-executed government renewable energy investment programmes in the world, and we have all the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure that is the case,” Mr Al Falih said.
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani