A consortium of Kuwait and Saudi Arabian companies has won the bid to develop 500 MW of large utility-scale solar independent power projects (IPP) located at Ibri in Oman, according to Reuters.

In November 2018, Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) had received bids from three international consortia for the $400 million solar project.

The winning consortium includes Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, Kuwait’s Gulf Investment Corporation and Alternative Energy Projects Company.

Other two consortiums which did not win the auction are – Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), Total Solar, Jinko Power (HK) Company Limited and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation, Oman Gas Company (OGC), Qatar-based Nebras Power, Bahwan Renewable Energy Company.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of Ibri II Solar IPP was issued on June 4, 2018.  Mercom had reported earlier about OPWP’s Request for Qualification for the 500 MW utility-scale solar project in the country. The plant is expected to generate enough power to supply 33,000 homes and offset 340,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

The project was announced last year in December by OPWP, a member of the Nama group. It will be developed under Build, Own and Operate model by the private sector.

Last year in November, OPWP had initiated the process for the second utility-scale solar PV project to be connected to the main interconnected system in Oman. The project, with a capacity between 500 MW to 1,000 MW, will be known as Solar 2022 IPP. OPWP had sought proposals from interested bidders to provide technical consultancy services for the development of the project and to advise on the competitive tendering of the project.

In the same month, ACWA Power announced the financial closure of the Sakaka solar project, which was the first utility-scale renewable energy project developed in Saudi Arabia under the National Renewable Energy Program executed by REPDO (Renewable Energy Project Development Office).

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer