Oman targets 30% renewable energy share by 2030

In a bid to diversify its energy sources, Oman has set an ambitious goal of covering 30 per cent of its electricity demand with renewable energy projects by 2030.

With the launch of several major renewable energy projects in the sultanate, Oman Power and Water Procurement Co (OPWP) expects solar energy, wind power and waste energy projects to account for as much as 30 per cent of the country’s energy mix by 2030.

According to OPWP, solar energy will likely produce 21 per cent of total power needed in Oman by 2030, while wind energy and waste energy are projected to account for 6.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent of total energy mix, respectively. Gas-fired power plants, however, will continue to dominate the generation capacity, with an expected share of at least 70 per cent in Oman’s energy mix in 2030.

OPWP has also set a target that by 2025 renewable energy sources will produce around 16 per cent of total power needed in the sultanate. Solar energy is expected to contribute for 12 per cent of total power generation by 2025, while wind power and waste energy will account for two per cent each in Oman’s energy mix.

OPWP on Sunday announced the launch of several renewable energy projects, including a new utility-scale solar project with a capacity between 500MW-1,000MW and a mega wind energy project with an anticipated capacity of 300MW. It also announced the launch of Oman’s first waste-to-energy independent power plant with an anticipated electricity generation capacity of 125MW–160MW.

At a press conference, H E Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas said that sustainability is at the forefront as Oman embarks on the deployment of renewable energy projects and the pipeline is full of initiatives in this field that will yield benefits for current and future generations.

OPWP on Sunday also announced the awarding of 500MW Ibri II Solar Independent Power Project (IPP) to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power. Ibri II Solar IPP is the largest and first utility-scale solar project in the sultanate.

To meet an expected five per cent annual growth in power demand, OPWP expects total contracted power capacity to grow to 10,804MW by 2021 from 8,714MW in 2018.