The Oman Power and Water Procurement company (OPWP) has announced that it has received bids from three international consortia for the development of 500 MW large utility scale solar PV Independent Power Project (IPP) located at Ibri.

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 (RfQ) for a 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.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), Total Solar, and Jinko Power (HK) Company Limited have formed a consortium to bid for the project.

Another alliance consists of Saudi Arabia-based International Company for Water and Power Projects (ACWA Power), Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), and Alternative Energy Projects Company (AEPC).

The third group is formed of Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation, Oman Gas Company (OGC), Qatar-based Nebras Power, and Bahwan Renewable Energy Company.

“The evaluation of the received bids is currently underway and OPWP expects to finalise the award by early next year,” said OPWP in a statement.

It added that the project is planned to achieve commercial operation by June 2021.

Recently, Merom reported that OPWP has 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 advice on the competitive tendering of the project.

Image credit: Flickr

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