Oman wind power deals to be signed

Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAEC) will sign a number of agreements for Dhofar Wind Power Project on Tuesday.

The company will sign the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP), and Electricity Connection Agreement with Oman Electricity Transmission Company, with the EPC contract have been awarded by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar ) to the successful bidder.

Earlier, Masdar had signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with a global consortium comprising GE and Spain’s TSK for the Dhofar wind power project.

The ceremony will be under the patronage of HE Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chairman of the General Authority for Electricity and Water, in the presence of a number of officials from the Sultanate and the UAE.

The 50 MW wind energy plant project will be based in Fatekhait area at Wilayat of Shalem and Halaniyat Islands in the Governorate of Dhofar.

The project will be built according to the latest international standards is and expected to generate about 160 Gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, that can meet the power needs of about 16,000 homes in Dhofar Governorate and will help avoid the release of 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually through the installation of 13 wind turbines. The project is expected to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2019.

The Sultanate, represented by the Rural Areas Electricity Company, has signed in August 2014 an a Joint Development Agreement with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to build this wind power plant as the first of its kind in the gulf region.

The project works include the development, design, engineering, construction, expansion, installation, maintenance and operation of the wind turbines station, its substations and  the power lines  which will be connected with  the network of Oman Electricity Transmission Company .

This project will be the first of its kind on the GCC. The project will boost the total electricity production capacity in Dhofar Governorate by utilizing wind resources where the average wind speed is between 7 to 8 m/s. The project will also contribute to the training of local cadres and will provide a number of employment opportunities.