A large solar project is being built in Saudi Arabia backed by a bank in Korea. It will produce 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The project is in the Sadawi region, about 523 kilometers north of Riyadh.
The Export-Import Bank of Korea has agreed to finance $225 million for the project. The plant is being developed by a group of companies. This group is led by Masdar, a company based in the UAE. Other partners include Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and China’s GD Power.
The solar power station will use around 3.7 million solar panels. These will cover an area of nearly 40 square kilometers. When complete, the plant is expected to generate around 6,500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity every year.
All of the electricity produced will be sold to Saudi Arabia’s Power Procurement Company (SPPC). This agreement will last 25 years. The solar farm is expected to be ready in 2027. This is the largest international solar project in which a Korean company has taken part.
This isn’t the first time Korea has supported solar energy abroad. In July 2024, the Export-Import Bank of Korea also provided $150 million for a solar project in the UAE. That project, called Al Ajban, was built by Korea Western Power and France’s EDF Renewables.
Within Korea, small projects are also being developed. In South Jeolla Province, a 600 kW solar installation was added to a closed landfill site. It powers public lighting and small local facilities. In Daegu, a 1 MW rooftop solar project has been added to a logistics warehouse. It supplies electricity to nearby small factories and runs a battery system that stores 1.2 MWh.
These local and international projects show that Korea is using both public and private finance to support solar development. Whether in remote desert areas or on urban rooftops, energy systems powered by the sun are being added gradually to reduce reliance on traditional sources.
