A project of ‘giga’ scale, commissioned ahead of time
As Saudi Arabia’s largest solar plant gears up for completion, Bharathi Kumar, Project Director, and team are on cloud nine having won L&T Construction’s Timely Delivery Award – 2023. “When we achieved a world record of energizing 450 MW in one month in July 2023, I knew in my heart that we were destined to win this award!” Bharathi says with an emphatic smile. “Right from the project’s inception, we proactively planned for early delivery and took diligent steps to guarantee its realization.”
Bharathi Kumar
Project Director
When we achieved a world record of energizing 450 MW in one month in July 2023, I knew in my heart that we were destined to win this award!. Right from the project’s inception, we proactively planned for early delivery and took diligent steps to guarantee its realization.
As the first project under the government’s Public Investment Fund’s renewable energy programme, the Sudair Solar PV IPP Project is one of the largest single-contracted solar PV plants in the world with an installed capacity of 1.8 GWdc / 1.6 GWac. Once operational, it will offset nearly 2.9 million tons of emissions per year while powering
185,000 homes.
Smart thinking on all fronts
Drones were deployed to comprehensively map the project terrain, covering an expansive 7,299 acres of land, and timelapse cameras helped the team monitor project progress over time. Bi-facial PV modules paired with HSAT technology effectively reduced the required area for PV plant installation, laser method assessments ensured precise ramming levels, and modified telehandlers boosted module delivery and distribution efficiency. “All these measures helped us achieve 19.5 MW of module installation per day, and we installed 3.2 million modules within 13 months,” Bharathi shares proudly.
“Our site-based project management office enabled us to make quicker decisions and easily interact with the client,” reveals Vikas Shetty, Project Control Manager. “Our in-house design team helped in optimization and faster delivery. Starting with an in-house execution team for 100 MWac, they ended up executing 900 MWac. Each discipline head was empowered to interact with the client. In turn, we focused on ‘metrics that matter’ and jointly visited other ACWA Power projects to understand their pain points.”
Recruiting local talent, fostering the growth of local subcontractors, and enhancing domestic participation all contributed to on-time delivery. “Our initiative of enhancing the local workforce was duly acknowledged by the client, recognizing L&T for its commitment to local capacity building,” Bharathi informs. “We have recruited a total of 123 Saudi nationals
till date.”
The team’s strong focus on safety culture earned it multiple esteemed awards such as the RoSPA Gold Award and a
4-Star rating from the British Safety Council, with over 9.5 million safe manhours clocked.
By energizing the plant ahead of schedule, the Sudair Project team stands as a testament to L&T’s capability for timely delivery, with safety and quality. Cheers to Bharathi and team for delivering a project of such magnitude in time, and may they carry forward this success to future projects!
For a more in-depth look at the Sudair Solar Project, read our recent coverage in the April–September 2023 issue of ECC Concord.