Oman’s biggest solar power project now remotely operated

MUSCAT: Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the owner and operator of the country’s transmission grids, has announced the successful completion of tests to support the remote operation of the Ibri Solar Independent Power Project (IPP).

Also known as Ibri II Solar IPP, the 500 MW capacity project is the largest grid-connected utility-scale solar power scheme currently in operation in the Sultanate of Oman. The project, located in Al Dhahirah Governorate, is owned by Shams Ad-Dhahirah Generating Company (SDGC), comprising a partnership of ACWA Power, Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), and Alternative Energy Projects Co (AEPC).

“OETC has successfully completed all the required tests to remotely control generation at Ibri Solar IPP, which is considered the first solar power plant in Oman to be connected to the transmission grid,” majority state-owned OETC, part of Nama Group, said in a post on Wednesday.

“This is considered a significant step towards (strengthening) the stability, reliability, and sustainability of the electricity grid, besides achieving national carbon neutrality goals and aspirations,” it further stated.

OETC’s Load Despatch Centre (LDC) in Muscat oversees the remote operation of the Ibri II Solar IPP, as it does with other power generation plants distributed around the country. It serves as a centralized facility for the company’s operational coordination and despatch activities. The main control centre is located at OETC’s headquarters in Mawaleh, while a regional control centre at Salalah handles the company’s operations in Dhofar Governorate. Together, this infrastructure is critical to OETC’s objective of ensuring safe, secure, reliable and economic transmission and dispatch of electricity.

At peak generation capacity, the Ibri II Solar IPP produces enough renewable electricity to meet the requirements of an estimated 50,000 homes and offsets 340,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The plant was brought into operation in November 2021.