WEEKLY REVIEW

PV Market News This Week：

1. Tunisia awards over 500MW of solar capacity in latest round of tenders

Tunisia has announced the winners of tenders for over 500MW of solar capacity, part of a series of tenders to install 1.7GW of new renewable power capacity.

The contracts were awarded by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, and fall under two tenders. The first calls for submissions for eight PV projects, with a combined capacity of 800MW, and the ministry has awarded contracts to French firms Qair International and Voltalia, and Norwegian developer Scatec.

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2. New York approves 125MW AES solar project on industrial land

The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has issued its final siting permit for AES' 125MW Somerset solar project.

The facility, which will be built in Nicaragua County, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, is notable as it is the first project to be built on repurposed industrial land awarded a permit by ORES. The project will be built on land once covered by the Somerset Station coal plant, and portions of a landfill, which the office of New York governor Kathy Hochul said were "ideal" land types for solar development.

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3. China's Jiangsu province launches 27.3 GW offshore solar plan

The Jiangsu provincial government has launched an offshore solar development plan (2025-30), aiming to expand the region's coastal solar capacity with 60 projects totaling 27.25 GW. The plan sets ambitious targets to build 10 GW by 2027 and up to 20 GW by 2030.

Key sites for development have already been identified across Jiangsu's coastal cities and counties. Nantong will host 33 projects totaling 11.44 GW, Lianyungang will have 13 projects with 5.35 GW, and Yancheng will develop 14 projects totaling 10.46 GW, all contributing to the 27.25 GW target.

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4. NTPC allocates 1.2 GW of wind-solar hybrid capacity in India at $0.040/kWh

Indian state-owned power producer NTPC has concluded auction for 1.2 GW of wind-solar hybrid capacity at an average price of INR 3.43 ($0.040)/kWh.

JSP Green (Jindal Renewables) won 350 MW with the lowest bid of INR 3.38/kWh, while Adani Renewable Energy secured 350 MW at INR 3.44/kWh. Green Prairie Energy (EverGreen Power) took 200 MW, and Ampin Energy and Adyant Enersol (Datta Infra) each claimed 150 MW at the same price.

The successful bidders will develop projects on a build-own-operate basis. The projects can be located anywhere in India and must be connected to the interstate transmission grid (ISTS).

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5. Jordanian government promotes small scale solar

The new government is driving "progressive" measures including heat pump and solar incentives for low-income households. Incentives are managed by the Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF), which has been operational since 2015.

Jordan's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said that 32,890 solar water heaters had been installed in 2023 under a former subsidy program. The state has also backed solar on farms and public buildings and building-integrated PV.

In February 2024, the JREEEF opened an online service handling queries about a solar heater and PV subsidy and in June 2024, issued solar tenders for National Aid Fund beneficiaries. In November the same year, the government passed electricity laws encouraging energy storage.

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6. EBRD to finance solar-thermal power plant in Serbia

The EBRD is providing a sovereign loan of up to €105 million for a large-scale solar-thermal plant in Novi Sad, northern Serbia.

The funding for Novi Sad's district heating company, Novosadska Toplana Novi Sad, will support the construction of a plant with 38,600 sqm of solar collector fields, an 850,000 cubic meter seasonal heat storage system, a 17 MW heat pump, and a 60 MW electric boiler.

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7. Zanzibar runs tender for 18 MW of solar

Zanzibar Electricity Corp. (ZECO) has launched a tender for designing, supplying, and installing a solar plant with at least 18 MW capacity.

It will be located in Makunduchi, one of the southernmost towns on the islands of Zanzibar, which is an autonomous region of Tanzania.

According to the tender details, the chosen developer will also be responsible for the plant's operation and maintenance for three years and will be required to provide training to ZECO personnel ahead of handover.

The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, via the United Republic of Tanzania, received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the project.

Full bidding documents can be purchased for $250. A pre-bid meeting and site visiting, which is mandatory for competing in the bidding process, will be held on Jan. 13, 2025. Applications must be received via post by Jan. 31, 2025.

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8. PowerChina to build 530 MW of solar in Panama

PowerChina has signed an EPC contract to build 530 MW of solar in Panama.

The agreement covers the design, construction, installation, commissioning, trial operation, handover, and testing of the Sajalices photovoltaic project in Cermeno, Panama Oeste province.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Panama had installed around 570 MW of solar by the end of 2023.

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9. Solar dominates Poland's latest renewables auctions

Poland's URE has shared the results of seven renewables auctions that took place in December.

An auction for solar and wind installations greater than 1 MW received 172 solar bids and two onshore wind bids. It approved 126 solar projects totaling around 1,481 MW and the two wind projects totaling 90.8 MW.