Saudi Renewables Tracker · captive and corporate
Jubail 3B IWP solar PV
A 61 MW solar PV project at Jubail Industrial Area, Eastern Province. Stage: Operating.
The record
What the sources publish for this project
- Capacity
- 61 MWENGIE's fact sheet gives 61 MW PV; Global Energy Monitor gives 61 MWp.
- Technology
- Solar PVPhotovoltaic plant built into a reverse-osmosis desalination plant of 570,000 m³ a day
- Stage counted on this site
- OperatingAs published: “The water project entered commercial operations (reported 1 September 2024)” (Gulf Construction Online)
- Commercial operation
- 2024
- Operation date, stated target
- March 2024
- Owners and developers
- ENGIE (owner, developer; 40%)
- Nesma Renewables (owner; 30%)
- Abdul Aziz Al Ajlan Sons (owner; 30%)
- Supplies
- The Jubail 3B desalination plant it is built into
- Operation and maintenance
- ENGIE
- Arrangement
- Built into the plant it supplies
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Location
- Jubail Industrial Area, Eastern ProvinceLocality and region only; plant coordinates are not published
ENGIE's fact sheet names the shareholders as ENGIE, Nesma and Alajlan; Global Energy Monitor gives Alajlan's full name. The water is sold to the Saudi Water Partnership Company under a 25-year agreement.
Modelled output
Estimated annual generation
122
GWh a year
22.9%
Capacity factor
37.2% of the modelled output of this tracker’s operational solar projects.
- Fixed at the optimal tilt104 GWh19.5%1,709 kWh per kWp
- Single-axis trackerCounted here122 GWh22.9%2,007 kWh per kWp
Yield read at the centre of Jubail, rounded to 0.1°. Mounting assumed: plants of 50 MW and more on single-axis trackers, smaller ones fixed.
Annual kWh per kWp from PVGIS for crystalline silicon with 14% system loss, multiplied by the capacity as the source states it and taken as peak. A plant rated in MWac carries more DC capacity, so its estimate runs low.
Tracker totals, modelled
| Stage | Projects | Capacity, MW | GWh a year | Capacity factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational | 6 / 7 | 173 | 329 | 21.7% |
| Contracted | 3 / 4 | 72 | 131 | 20.7% |
| Observed | 0 / 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
Solar yield: PVGIS 5.2 (PVGIS-SARAH2), European Commission, Joint Research Centre. © European Union. Estimate as JSON
Sources
Where each figure comes from
| Publisher | Publication | Published | Read on | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGIE Middle East | Asset fact sheet: Jubail 3B | 2024 | 24 September 2026 | Procurer, developer or owner |
| Gulf Construction Online | Jubail 3B water project enters commercial operations | 1 September 2024 | 24 September 2026 | Press or compiler |
| Global Energy Monitor | Jubail 3B Solar PV Plant | Undated | 24 September 2026 | Press or compiler |
Where sources disagree
Both readings, and the one counted
Operation date
- Planned commercial operation March 2024 — ENGIE Middle East
- Commercial operations reported 1 September 2024 — Gulf Construction Online
Counted on this site: 2024
Why: Neither source publishes the day commercial operation was reached; the year is the one both support.
Solar and wind resource
The resource at Jubail
NASA POWER's long-run means for the 0.5° cell that holds the locality: an area-level picture, not a site measurement.
5.38 kWh/m²/day
Global horizontal irradiance
About 1,964 kWh/m² a year
4.00 kWh/m²/day
Direct normal irradiance
5.8 m/s
Wind at 50 m
26.6 °C
Air temperature
Warmest month August, 34.7 °C
Aerosol optical depth: 0.53 · Dustiest month April
| January | 3.56 |
|---|---|
| February | 4.28 |
| March | 5.20 |
| April | 5.78 |
| May | 6.72 |
| June | 7.28 |
| July | 6.98 |
| August | 6.68 |
| September | 6.04 |
| October | 5.00 |
| November | 3.76 |
| December | 3.34 |
Source: NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project, climatology 2001–2020, public domain; retrieved 2026-09-24. Cell N27.0E49.5, native resolution 1° (CERES SYN1deg). These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program.
Saudi captive and corporate solar, 24 September 2026 (2026-09)