Kuwait’s ambitious Shagaya renewable energy project will include a 50 MW thermosolar facility, and now the six consortia shortlisted for its construction have been announced. Five of them are led by Spanish companies.

The planned Shagaya renewable energy complex in Kuwait will include a 50 MW thermosolar plant, 10 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity and 10 MW of wind power. In total Shagaya is expected to supply the electricity grid with up to 225,000 MWh per year once it’s completed in the first half of 2016.

Of the eight consortia which entered the bidding process to build the Kuwaiti project, six have been shortlisted. Of these, five are led by Spanish contractors.

Engineering firm TSK Electrónica y Electricidad is among the shortlisted companies, as well as the affiliates of Spain’s Abengoa Abener and Teyma, which also presented a joint proposal for the Shagaya plant. Elecnor, Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios and Abantia Instalaciones round out the list of the five Spanish groups that were chosen. This bidding contest confirms the global leadership of Spanish companies in the thermosolar sector.

Construction of the Shagaya renewable energy complex will allow Kuwait to evaluate the performance of different renewable energy technologies as a function of the country’s meteorological conditions, carry out economic and technical viability studies and also examine any deficiencies that may arise.

While there is no official date yet, the final contract for constructing the facility is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2014. The goal for the project is to reach 2,000 MW of installed capacity by 2030, thus representing an enormous area of potential for the entire thermosolar energy sector.