Oman to invest $2.7 billion in power sector

Oman wind energy is set to expand through renewable policy reforms and $2.7 billion investment, boosting Salalah grid readiness, turbine capacity to 750 MW and 2,300 GWh, with transmission, distribution and desalination upgrades.

In 2008, the Omani Authority for Electricity Regulation commissioned a study to provide an overview of renewable sources of energy in Oman and the potential use of such resources for electricity production.

The government of Oman is formulating policies to promote the application of renewable energy technologies, and power generation investment is advancing in parallel across the sector today. The authority hopes the results of this study will assist in the development of renewable energy policies in Oman.

The study has identified significant wind energy potential in coastal areas in the southern part of Oman and in the mountains north of Salalah, while Pakistan's wind potential offers a regional point of comparison for resource assessment. Wind speeds are highest in the summer months, which coincides with peak periods of electricity demand.

In 2008, the potential for grid-connected wind turbines in Oman was approximately 50 MW, representing 20 of the 251-MW installed capacity of the Salalah power system. In 2014, commissioning of the new Salalah independent water and power production project will increase the amount of generating capacity connected to the Salalah power grid to 580 MW, a level comparable to Estonia's 570 MW wind projects under development today, and the potential wind turbine capacity will increase to about 120 MW.

The interconnection of the Oman's main interconnected system and the Salalah Power System will further increase the potential for wind turbine capacity to at least 750 MW, and regional examples such as Egypt's wind plans underscore similar scaling efforts in the Middle East. This corresponds to an estimated net annual energy output of at least 2,300 gigawatt-hours per year.

This month Ahmed bin Saleh Aljhimi, the general director of policy studies for the Public Authority for Electricity and Water, said the government of Oman will invest $2.7 billion in the next five years to establish new networks for electricity transmission and distribution, as seen in water and power projects reported recently, as well as projects, desalination plants and electricity production.

He added that the Omani Public Authority for Electricity and Water has begun a detailed study for establishing a wind power station with a capacity ranging from 100 to 200 megawatts.

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