EDF Renewables, a unit of French energy giant firm EDF, has won the Benjamin Netanyahu led Israeli Government’s latest tender to build and operate the country’s largest solar plant. This is according to a statement given by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Israel. The 300 Megawatt project will be built near the city of Dimona in southern Israel in the Negev desert.
The submitted bid was just below ILS 0.07 ($0.019) per kilowatt hour, the lowest ever price recorded in an energy tender in Israel. EDF Renewables broke the ILS 0.07 mark for the first time in July 2024 when the French company won the tender to build and operate a 100 MW facility in the small community of Ashalim, about 30 kilometres from the Dimona plant site.
The accountant general of the Israeli Ministry of Finance, Yehli Rotenberg, stated in an interview, “This project is a real breakthrough regarding electricity, strengthening the country’s energy independence, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We will continue to promote national projects with the PPP model to provide maximum value to electricity consumers.”
Upon completion the Dimona – Ashalim region will supply 700 Mega Watt of renewable energy through 6 transmission plants.
In another statement, the Ministry of Energy head of Israel, Yossi Dagan said, “The tender is an important milestone on the way to achieving the national renewable energy target. The unprecedented price of less than ILS 0.07 per kWh demonstrates the highly intensifying increase in solar technology and highlights the potential of solar energy to strengthen the electricity grid by diversifying energy sources and decentralising power generation sites while offering lucrative energy prices in the electricity market.”
