MUSCAT, JAN 4
Oman’s clean-energy programme is advancing through competitive utility-scale tenders, but the next wave of growth will depend on whether the Sultanate of Oman builds a clear policy framework for commercial, industrial and residential renewables, Hariprasad Gantyala, Lead Renewables and Emerging Technologies at ONEIC and Technical Director at Takhzeen Oman, said.
In an exclusive interview, Gantyala said the main constraint holding back wider deployment is not land, grid capacity or financing, but the absence of bankable rules that allow businesses and households to invest confidently in distributed renewables.
“The biggest bottleneck for open renewable projects in Oman is the absence of a clear policy framework for C&I and residential renewables”, he said.
While utility-scale projects are well supported through Nama Power and Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) tenders, he said non-utility projects still lack key mechanisms such as net-billing, wheeling and standardised interconnection requirements.
“This policy gap — not land, grid, or financing — prevents scalable, bankable C&I and rooftop deployment”, he added.
Gantyala said Oman’s grid is moving “in the right direction”, but the next stage of renewable expansion will require the system to become more flexible, not only bigger.
“The next phase is about flexibility — not just adding more solar or wind”, he said.
He pointed to priorities that include better forecasting and dispatch tools, stronger transmission in areas of growing demand, consistent interconnection standards and quicker operating reserves. Internationally, he said, markets that scale renewables fastest are those investing in flexibility alongside generation.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are attracting global attention as grids adapt to intermittent renewables. In Oman, Gantyala sees the most realistic near-term opportunities in hybrid projects that combine solar with storage and in industrial and commercial users where reliability and power quality directly affect costs and operations.
“Storage scales quickly once the revenue model is clear”, he said.
He said frameworks that recognise the value of services such as peak shaving, grid support, reducing curtailment and providing reserves or frequency response would turn market interest into a pipeline of bankable projects.
On financing, Gantyala said investor requirements are broadly consistent across markets: credible offtake arrangements or PPAs, clear grid-connection scope and timelines, robust EPC and operations structures, realistic yield assumptions and disciplined risk allocation.
He said common developer mistakes include underestimating early technical work such as grid studies and interconnection requirements; and over-optimism on schedules and performance assumptions.
“Capital is available, but it goes to projects that are technically solid and commercially clear”, he said.
Gantyala said the fastest way to accelerate Oman’s clean-energy pipeline is to make grid connection faster and more predictable, backed by published standards, transparent timelines and earlier visibility on network upgrades and curtailment approaches.
He added that the global transition is increasingly shaped by “flexibility markets” — including storage, demand response and grid digitalisation — and Oman will benefit by strengthening the “plumbing” of the energy transition.
“If Oman strengthens connection clarity and flexibility mechanisms, investment and delivery will follow”, he said.
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