Oman plans to add some 4 GW of renewables by 2029

Image Source: Energy Oman Magazine 

Nama Power and Water Procurement Co (PWP), the sole off-taker of electricity from independent power plants in Oman, will seek developers for new solar and wind projects that are planned to add about 3 GW of capacity by 2029 in addition to a gigawatt that has already been assigned.

The Arab country has a 500-MW solar park and a 49.9-MW wind park in operation and earlier this year awarded the Manah I and Manah II solar projects with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW to developers. The two sites should be connected to the grid in 2025.

Several new solar, wind and waste-to-energy plants are planned to be built in the next few years as electricity demand in the Sultanate is expected to grow, shows PWP’s recently published 7-Year Statement 2023 – 2029.

PWP, previously known as Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), plans to issue a request for qualifications for the 500-MW Ibri III solar project in the third quarter of 2023, targeting the start of commercial operation in the last quarter of 2026.

Another 500-MW solar project, dubbed MIS Solar IPP, is planned to be developed in the Al Wusta region and become operational in 2027. However, PWP noted that the location and the capacity of the project may be amended.

A sixth utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project with a targeted commercial operation date (COD) in 2029 is planned to add a further 1,000 MW to Oman’s power grid. The capacity will be distributed to two sites which could be awarded to different developers.

Wind energy plays also a major role in the expansion of power generation capacity in Oman. PWP plans to issue a request for qualifications for two new wind projects in the third quarter of 2023 followed by a request for proposals for both schemes in the first quarter of next year. Duqm Wind IPP is to be located in the Duqm region with an estimated capacity of between 200 MW and 300 MW.

The second wind project, dubbed JBB Wind IPP, is planned to be developed at a site at Jalan Bani bu Ali in North Sharqiyah Governorate with a nominally estimated capacity of about 100 MW.

Four more wind projects are planned to add about 600 MW of capacity between 2027 and 2029.

In addition to wind and solar, Oman is planning to build a waste-to-energy plant in Barka, a coastal city in the north of the country. A feasibility study for the project was completed in 2018. The plant with a capacity of between 130 MW and 140 MW will be powered by municipal waste collected from Muscat and South Batinah Governorates. The request for proposals is to be issued by the end of this year.

The table below provides more details about PWP’s planned renewable energy projects in Oman.

Source: Renewable Now