Renewable resources: OPWP completes wind resource assessment for Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and Duqm locations
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), the single buyer of electricity and water output in the Sultanate, has announced the formal completion of a wind resource assessment (WRA) programme aimed at evaluating the feasibility of establishing wind power projects at key locations in the Sultanate.
The state-owned entity, part of Nama Group, said that ground data collection at two locations – Jaalan Bani Bu Ali (North Al Shar qiyah Governorate) and Duqm (Al Wusta Governorate – has been wrapped up.
“The data is being analysed, which hopefully will pave the way for the development of full-scale wind projects,” OPWP stated in a recent post.
According to OPWP officials, the wind resource assessment initiative entailed the installation of tall masts, fitted with wind measuring instruments. Data collected from the two locations is key to garnering top calibre investment interest from international developers when OPWP floats competitive tenders for the procurement of wind-power projects at these locations.
Oman is known to have excellent potential for wind energy development with wind speeds as high as 8 – 10 metres/second at numerous onshore sites, even during the summer months. Offshore development may also have large potential.
Oman’s first utility-scale wind farm – a 50 MW facility built at Harweel in Dhofar Governorate – was brought into operation in late 2019. Plans for the procurement of new wind-based capacity at Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and Duqm have been stymied by the global economic downturn compounded by the pandemic. However, these initiatives are expected to be revived once the overall economic environment brightens and investment appetite returns to the market.
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