Oil and Gas once reigned supreme as Oman’s economic powerhouse, but today, Oman is taking bold and resolute strides toward slashing its carbon footprint to create a sustainable future.
In the groundbreaking publication by the Environment Authority of Oman, titled ‘The Sultanate of Oman’s National Strategy for an Orderly Transition to a Net Zero Plan,’ Oman, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, has made an unwavering commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This pledge aligns seamlessly with the ambitious goal set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to curtail global climate change to a mere 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Oman, by embracing this mission, has ascended to a prominent position on the global stage, where it spearheads the charge in charting an enduring and sustainable path towards the future.
This extraordinary document unveils Oman’s resolute vision for attaining net zero emissions by 2050, marking a monumental and unwavering declaration of intent.
According to Engineer Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Oman’s orderly energy transition will be underpinned by a set of fundamental objectives: ensuring environmental sustainability, minimizing economic costs to Omani citizens and industries, optimizing the economic impact arising from the transition, encouraging job creation, and ensuring a secure energy supply.
“The vision is as compelling as it is challenging; the transition will involve many changes to the economy and will involve trade-offs along the way. But thanks to Almighty Allah, Oman is blessed with a bountiful endowment of natural resources to support the transition: plentiful sunlight, ideal windspeeds, and a favorable geographic location to grow a new hydrogen economy,” he explained.
While the net zero 2050 pathway is a critical step in the journey, it is only the beginning. With the announcement of the creation of the Oman Sustainability Center, the Sultanate has laid the foundation to ensure the necessary supervision, implementation, and support for the net zero 2050 plan.
The two sectors of renewable energy Oman is investing in are solar energy and wind energy.
One challenging aspect is the cost of producing renewable energy.
According to Oman 2040, the environmental cost of generating electricity using solar energy in Oman is lower than using natural gas. Accordingly, the government has established a series of projects in solar energy, which together add up to a total capacity of 500 MW.
As per expectations, this capacity should be able to cover 33,000 homes with electricity, which could reduce 340,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The Amin Solar project is one of the largest projects that would see a reduction in dependency on gas power plants and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
As per the details from Oman 2040, the project has 336,000 photovoltaic panels stretching over full kilometers with a capacity of 100 MW which results in about 226,000 tons of reduction in carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Oman’s coastline is 3165 km, and with it comes great potential in wind energy. Wind energy is another source that is being tapped to help achieve the government’s objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Project Dhofar Wind Energy is located in the Wilayat of Shaheen and the Halaniyat Islands. The project is to meet the requirements for electricity in 16,000 homes in Dhofar Governorate.
The project that was completed in 2019 is equipped with the latest pneumatic actuators that are suitable for the environment.
Masdar delivered the first large-scale wind farm in the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising 50 MW. The Dhofar Wind Power Project is Masdar’s first investment in Oman’s renewable energy sector.
According to Masdar, the Thumrait plateau, where the project is constructed, provides the ideal conditions for the wind farm, with an average wind speed of 7 to 8 meters per second.
Thirteen wind turbines operate with each having an electricity generation capacity of 3.8 MW.
The production sees wind energy penetration of seven percent of the Dhofar Governorate’s electricity needs.
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