Petroleum Development Oman turns to Solar with its own 100 MW plant

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has started drawing power from the Gulf Arab its largest photovoltaic solar plant. The 100-megawatt AMIN facility, built partially by Marubeni Corp will supply electricity for PDO’s operations. The organization targeting to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025. 

Oman like its neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is extending into solar energy to broaden its domestic sources of electricity. The nation is the largest Arab oil producer outside of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Amin facility was created at Nimr in southern Oman by an association including Marubeni, Oman Gas Co., Bahwan Renewable Energy Co. and Nebras Power.

PDO is producing a much bigger solar plant that will create power from the sun’s heat, as opposed to photovoltaic units like Amin that generates electricity straight from sunlight. The Miraah thermal project was formerly designed 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 provide power for the national grid. According to Oman Power & Water Procurement Co which will be the single largest buyer of the electricity produced at Ibri, the project’s first phase, for 500 megawatts, is planned to complete by 2021.

Oman’s thrust into renewables faced a hindrance when US-based Glasspoint Solar, which was developing the Miraah thermal project advanced into administration and subsequently into liquidation earlier this month. PDO said that it would be able to conduct the facilities without Glasspoint, appending that Miraah units using the US firm’s technology will soon be operational and have a capacity of 300 megawatts starting in July.

PDO, Oman’s biggest oil producer is predominantly under the ownership of the regional government with a stake of 60%. Other significant stakeholders are Shell with 34%, Total with 4% and Partex Oil & Gas with the remaining 2%.