Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), in which Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA hold minority stakes, has begun receiving power from the Gulf Arab country’s largest photovoltaic solar plant.
The 100-megawatt Amin facility, built partly by Marubeni Corp., will supply electricity for PDO’s operations, the state-run company said Sunday in a statement. PDO targets producing 30 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025, Mohamed Al Busaidi, who heads its renewables business, said by phone.
Oman, like neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is expanding into solar energy to diversify its domestic sources of electricity. The nation is the largest Arab oil producer outside of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Amin was built at Nimr in southern Oman by a group including Marubeni, Oman Gas Co., Bahwan Renewable Energy Co. and Nebras Power, PDO said.
PDO is developing a much bigger solar plant that will generate power from the sun’s heat, as opposed to photovoltaic units like Amin that produce electricity directly from sunlight. The Miraah thermal project was originally planned to reach a capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts.
Another photovoltaic plant is under construction at Ibri, west of the capital Muscat, which will produce power for the national grid. The Ibri project’s first phase, for 500 megawatts, is scheduled for completion by 2021, according to Oman Power & Water Procurement Co., the country’s sole bulk buyer of electricity.
Oman’s push into renewables encountered a setback when US-based Glasspoint Solar, which was building the Miraah thermal project, went into liquidation earlier this month. PDO said Sunday that it’s able to operate the facilities without Glasspoint, adding that Miraah units using the US firm’s technology will soon be commissioned and have a capacity of 300 megawatts starting in July.
PDO, Oman’s largest oil producer, is 60 percent-owned by the government. Shell holds 34 percent of the venture, while Total owns 4 percent and Partex Oil & Gas has the remaining 2 percent, according to PDO’s website.
Read more:
Abu Dhabi in talks to move ahead with giant solar farm
Saudi Arabian, French firms set up $53 million JV for solar panels
-
Abu Dhabi in talks to move ahead with giant solar farm
A pairing of Electricite de France’s renewables arm and China’s Jinko Solar is the lead bidder to build a solar farm larger than 4,200 soccer pitches ... Energy -
Saudi Arabian, French firms set up $53 million JV for solar panels
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Rasheed Petroleum Investment Company has inked a joint venture agreement in the field of solar energy with French company ... Energy -
Saudi Sakaka solar project to be launched before end of year
Saudi Arabia’s al-Jouf region will launch its first renewable power project before the end of the year, according to the Saudi Press Agency ... Energy