ACWA Power and Bapco Energies announced a joint development agreement to execute a solar-plus-large-scale battery energy storage (BESS) project in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The announcement was made during the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council meeting recently. The project is expected to generate up to 2.8 GW of energy over multiple phases. All electricity generated will be transmitted to Bahrain’s load center at Bapco Energies.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed six memoranda of understanding with the Egyptian government to advance investment, energy, and sustainable development. The memoranda also include a project agreement to strengthen the country’s electricity grid between the Egyptian Electricity Transmission and the EBRD.

The Egyptian cabinet approved procedures to offer 580 MW wind power projects in the Gabal El-Zeit area, under the government’s initial public offering program. The program aims to attract private-sector participation. The plan includes offering shares in several major companies operating in the energy, logistics, industrial, and telecommunications sectors.

Arabian Qudra, a subsidiary of Abunayyan Holding and a regional project developer in the power and water sector, announced an agreement with the Saudi Water Authority to develop the country’s first floating solar project. The agreement was signed at the Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference.

Amnah Energy, a consortium formed to develop major green hydrogen projects in Oman, signed a memorandum of understanding with Meranti Green Steel to supply clean energy for the latter’s project in the Special Economic Zone. Amnah Energy is developing a gigawatt-scale hydrogen project in Al Duqm. The Amnah consortium, comprising Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Blue Power Partners, and Al Khadra, has been awarded the 320 km² land block to develop 200,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, powered by around 4.5 GW of renewable energy. This energy is likely to be supplied to Meranti’s 2.5 million tons-per-annum hot briquetted steel plant.