TYPSA helps Saudi Arabia promote renewable energy with the design of a new solar plant

Position yourself in solar energy

With the design and construction supervision of a photovoltaic plant in Layla, 300 kilometers from the capital Riyadh, and with a capacity of 50 MW.

---

How can one of the top three oil-producing countries become a benchmark in green energy? Saudi Arabia is immersed in a plan that aims for 30% of the energy produced by the country to come from renewable sources. A plan to which Spanish engineering has joined TYPSA with a contract for the design and supervision of the construction of a photovoltaic plant in the town of Layla, 330 kilometers south of the capital, Riyadh.

 

The company will contribute to the plan Saudi all his know-how about solar energy, since in the years in which Spain opted for this type of energy - when the government encouraged the launch of a large number of solar projects at the end of the last decade -, TYPSA carried out various projects in Villamesías (Cáceres), Alvarado (Badajoz), Malagón (Ciudad Real), Arbeca (Lleida) or Darro, Iznalloz and Alhama (Granada), among others.

 

All this background gave shape to a great technical and technological capacity that has served as credentials to make its way abroad, which translated into contracts in United States, Brazil, Mexico or Chile, or the current one in Saudi Arabia, a country with a very rich solar resource, since it has more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

 

Therefore, at a time when the price of photovoltaic energy has fallen to historic lows, making it competitive with other technologies, Saudi Arabia has decided to bet decisively on it given its enormous dependence on oil and the new global agreements to reduce CO2 emissions by all countries.

 

Thus, TYPSA will put its stamp on this Saudi renewable revolution with the design and supervision of the construction of a solar plant that will have a power of 50MW and is promoted by the local company Taqnia Energy, which has signed a 25-year contract to sell production to the public company Saudi Electricity Company.

 

 

 

The country wants 30% of the energy it produces to come from renewable sources to reduce its dependence on oil

 

 

 

Spanish engineering has been involved in the project from the beginning, carrying out feasibility and network integration studies, designs and support for contracting the works, as well as supporting the promoter during the execution phase of the project. plays. All of this has culminated in a first phase, with 10 MW of operational power.

 

Although the range of sectors where it operates TYPSA is very broad, for engineering it is key to position itself in the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar - which has gone from being an energy considered 'expensive' to being competitive in production costs, and not only in mature economies, but also in developing countries.

 

In this sense, TYPSA is currently carrying out two studies for the construction of photovoltaic plants in Madagascar y Sri Lanka commissioned by the International Financial Corporation (IFC), entity dependent on World Bank. Even solar power generation is sprouting in countries like Burkina Faso, with one of the lowest incomes in the world, and where engineering supervises the works of a 33 MW photovoltaic plant.

 

However, even betting on internationalization, TYPSA has in its sights the Spanish market, which was one of the first to Europe and throughout the world in promoting renewable energy, to later value it in international markets.

 

However, our country has yet to liberalize the incorporation of renewable energies into the energy mix and take advantage of all the economic and environmental potential that they offer. The situation today differs greatly from that of ten years ago since renewable energies do not need any subsidies to provide value. If we do not do so, our country puts at risk the fulfillment of the European objectives in this matter and of seeing how many other countries that started later can surpass ours.

 

More than 40 years of relationship with Saudi Arabia

 

The presence of TYPSA in Saudi Arabia It is not new, as it dates back to the 70s, at a time when Spain was beginning to open up to the world and the internationalization of companies was a matter for a few. At the moment, Middle East It represents 44% of the group's total turnover and is one of its main business focuses, helping the region's progress in multiple areas, from railway systems to buildings, energy and water treatment.

 

In fact, at the end of last year, TYPSA was awarded a contract for the review of the construction project and supervision of the works of the desalination and photovoltaic plant in the city of Al Khafji, bathed by the waters of the Persian Gulf. A pioneering project because it is the first plant in the world powered by solar energy.