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Saudi Arabia developer Red Sea Global (RSG) has entered a 25-year concession agreement with the Abu Dhabi-based clean energy company Masdar and French multinational electric utility company EDF for a multi-utilities infrastructure facility to service the kingdom’s mega tourism project, Amaala.
According to the developer, this new eco infrastructure will consist of an optimised off-grid renewable energy system that will support Amaala to be powered entirely by solar energy, saving the equivalent of nearly half a million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
The facility will generate energy from photovoltaic technology and will also provide a battery energy storage solution that will enable power running 24 hours. The project will also feature a desalination plant and a wastewater treatment plant, both driven by renewables.
According to RSG, which is wholly owned by the state-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, Amaala’s renewable supply system has the capacity to generate up to 410,000 MWh per annum - enough to power 10,000 households for an entire year.
The contract was procured in the model of an independent public-private partnership (PPP), covering the design, construction and operation of the systems providing utilities, accompanied by the associated networks and infrastructure.
The utilities concession agreement between RSG, EDF and Masdar has an initial 25-year term with the option to extend and involves the financing, engineering, development, construction, operation, maintenance and transfer of a multi-utilities infrastructure facility.
Phase One of Amaala is focused on the Triple Bay masterplan and will open by early 2025. Once complete, the destination will feature more than 3,900 hotel rooms across 29 hotels and 1,200 resident villas, apartments and estate homes, alongside retail establishments, restaurants, wellness and recreational facilities.
RSG is also developing the Red Sea Tourism giga tourism project, located on the western coast of Saudi Arabia.
(Writing by Bindu Rai, editing by Seban Scaria)
