OMAN POWER AND WATER PROCUREMENT COMPANY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF THE FIRST UTILITY SCALE SOLAR IPP AT IBRI

In line with Oman’s vision to diversify fuel sources through the use of clean energy for power generation, Oman Power and Water Procurement Company SAOC (OPWP), a member of Nama Group, announced the launch of the first large utility scale solar PV independent power project (IPP) in Oman.

His Excellency Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, chairman of Public Authority for Electricity and Water (Diam) said that the government is moving forward on diversifying its energy resources in order to drive sustainability at the economic and environmental fronts. The development of the first large utility scale solar PV IPP will follow the successful IPP structure established in Oman, using a transparent competition process to award the contract to a highly qualified private sector project company delivering a world class technology solution.

The estimated project cost is approximately 500 Million US Dollars that will be built, owned and operated by the private sector and the scope of the project includes financing, procurement, engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of a new power plant, with generation capacity of 500 MW, to be located at Ibri which is around 300 km west from Muscat. The plant output will be sufficient to supply an estimated 33,000 homes with electricity and offset 340,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. It is planned that the award of the project will be in the second half of Q4 2018 and

the project is to be commercially operational by early 2021.

Hamdan Ali Al Hinai, chairman of OPWP stated that “this project will be the first in the chain of renewables projects that the company is planning to develop in the coming few years to support the sustainability approach of the country”.

Additionally, and as the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (Diam) completed a wind Atlas for the Sultanate, OPWP will pick on that to carry out a detailed Wind Resources Assessment (WRA). This will be carried out for the shortlisted sites in the WRA. This will pave the way to develop full wind projects in those locations. Also OPWP in coordination with the Authority for Electricity Regulation and the Environmental Service Holding Company (Beah), intends to commence preparatory work to assess the possibility of procuring waste to energy projects.

It is intended to build on the considerable work undertaken by Beah with regards to waste to energy and establish the framework, including the project definition and competition process, to facilitate the implementation of such project in the future.