EDF Wins 300 MW Negev Solar Tender, Israel's Largest Solar Farm

French utility EDF has won Israel's largest solar tender for the construction of a 300 MW photovoltaic project near Dimona in the Negev desert. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, making it the single largest solar installation in the country's history and a critical component of Israel's push toward 30% renewable energy by 2030. The Dimona project joins a growing constellation of Negev solar facilities. A separate 80 MW solar power facility with 400 MWh of battery storage was signed into agreement in late December 2025, to be built on the site of the existing Ashalim Plot A solar thermal plant. Additionally, a fifth solar energy plant at Ashalim is advancing, expected to generate 100 MW and start operations in the first quarter of 2027. Israel's solar capacity reached 5.36 GW by the end of 2024, following approximately 900 MW of new installations that year. However, renewable energy still accounts for only 15% of total electricity generation, leaving a significant gap to the 2030 target. To reach 16,000 MW of installed renewable capacity needed for the goal, Israel is simultaneously advancing a massive proposed project at two Negev sites — Oron and Zin — which could produce up to 2 GW of power across 42.5 square miles. A landmark regulation that took effect in December 2025 now requires all new residential buildings and certain commercial structures to install rooftop solar panels as a condition for building permits, adding approximately 10,000 new solar-equipped homes annually. Residential buildings must include a minimum of 5 kilowatts of solar capacity.