Renewable energy like wind and solar energy can help Oman in meeting its energy targets. The country has been trying to secure its energy future and has been taking steps in this direction. It has come out with further nation-wide plans in order to expand on the renewable energy portfolio and its contribution to the energy generation.

On 29 October 2018, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) had come out with an announcement that it had given a contract to the Omani Japanese joint-venture, the Marubeni Consortium, in order to develop a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant. This facility, which is to be developed under a scheme called the independent power producer (IPP) model, would produce electricity for its own use. It will come up in the Amin region, which is towards the southern part of Oman. This is the part where this company has made operational concessions.

Oman has drawn a renewables strategy

As per the terms of the renewable energy agreement, the Marubeni Consortium, which comprises of the Japanese multinational Marubeni as well as the Oman Gas Company, would take care of the procurement, design, construction, financing, operations, commissioning, as well as the maintenance of the solar energy plant. The PDO has been contracted to be the lone buyer for as many as 23 years.

The new development basically follows the launch of this as the first stage of a PDO renewable energy strategy, which has seen a 1000 MW solar facility located at Amal in the south of Oman. The energy project aims to combine both renewables as well as nonrenewable sources of energy. It would use solar power to generate steam, which would then be, in turn used, for extracting oil from the close-by deposits. This use of the steam injection process primarily is expected to extend the shelf life of the project. Improved oil recovery technology has allowed extraction of deposits which were earlier difficult or costly to get through conventional means.

About Aaditi Lele

Greenubuntu Evangelist Aaditi is a passionate environmentalist. She has received her bachelor's degree in biotechnology from India and recently graduated from Washington State University with a professional science master's degree, which is a blend of biotechnology, business and managerial training. She is currently working with Office of Commercialization at WSU and does patentability and market assessments for WSU inventions. She comes across new inventions on a regular basis and is interested to find more effective ways to save the environment which are widely applicable.