The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, (OPWP), has issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for developing two utility-scale solar PV projects at Manah, Sultanate of Oman.

In the second phase of its solar program, the OPWP was invited private developers for Manah-I and Manah-II projects, each with an installed capacity between 500 MW and 600 MW. The projects are to be developed by independent power producers (IPPs).

The projects will be located at Manah, 150 kilometers southwest of Muscat. The OPWP will be responsible for procuring the power and selling it the Sultanate of Oman.

The bid closing date is August 26, 2019.

There has been increasing activity in the Middle East with solar project tender announcements, investments as well as announcements of solar project completion.

Mercom had reported recently that a consortium of Kuwait and Saudi Arabian companies won the bid to develop 500 MW of large utility-scale solar independent power projects located at Ibri in Oman, built at an approximate value of $400 million.

The Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), a state-owned oil producer in Oman, announced allotment of a 100 MW solar project to the Marubeni Consortium, comprising the Marubeni Corporation, as the lead founder, Oman Gas Company S.A.O.C, Bahwan Renewable Energy Company LLC, and Modern Channels Services LLC.

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.

Oman’s power sector regulator, the Authority for Electricity Regulation Oman (AER) is also taking steps to pave the way for homeowners to install rooftop solar panels with any surplus electricity sent back into the national grid. A study commissioned by the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) revealed that solar systems installed on residential buildings in the Sultanate could offer an estimated 1.4 GW of electricity annually.

Soumik is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, Soumik was a correspondent for UNI, New Delhi covering the Northeast region for seven years. He has also worked as an Asia Correspondent for Washington DC-based Hundred Reporters. He has contributed as a freelancer to several national and international digital publications with a focus on data-based investigative stories on environmental corruption, hydro power projects, energy transition and the circular economy. Soumik is an Economics graduate from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University.