Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has awarded a contract to build a 100MW solar photovoltaic plant to Japanese-Omani consortium Marubeni, it was announced on Monday.
Marubeni is comprised of Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, as well as Oman Gas Company, Bahwan Renewable Energy Company and Modern Channels Services.
The new plant – a first of its kind in the sultanate – is slated to provide power for PDO’s interior operations.
According to local media reports, it will also be the world’s first utility-scale solar project to have an oil and gas company as its only wholesale purchaser of electricity.
The project includes the design, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance of the new solar plant, which will be located in PDO’s concession area just over 200 km from Thumrait.
According to the Muscat Daily, the plan will be structured as an “independent power producer” for a time period of 23 years.
“We look forward to working with the Marubeni Corporation and consortium partners to build our first IPP renewable energy project, which is another building block in support of Oman’s outstanding potential in renewable energy,” PDO managing director Raoul Restucci said.
PDO is also development the Miraah solar plant in Amal, and has installed thousands of solar panels in the car park of its headquarters in Mina Al Fahal that feed into the Omani national grid during non-working hours.
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