The Rural Areas Electricity Company (Tamweer), a subsidiary of The Electricity Holding Company (Nama Group), has reported an impressive 26 percent growth in the value of its nationwide assets, which rose to RO 533 million at the end of 2019, up from RO 422 million a year earlier.
It underscores wholly-government-owned Tanweer’s increasingly important role as the sole provider of electricity and potable water to vast swathes of the Sultanate that lie far beyond the coverage of the nation’s main power and water grids.
Included in the company’s jurisdiction are the governorates of Musandam and Al Wusta, parts of Al Dakhiliyah and South Al Sharqiyah, and much of Dhofar – aggregating around 73 per cent of the land area of the country.
According to the company’s newly published 2019 Annual Report, Tanweer currently oversees a network of 31 diesel power plants with a total installed capacity of 416 MW, in addition to six desalination plants which supply bulk desalinated water to the Public Authority for Water (Diam).
In recent years, the company has been moving to embrace renewables to reduce its dependence on diesel as fuel for electricity generation and water desalination. It is currently operating Oman’s first wind farm – the result of a partnership with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) – at Fatkhait in Dhofar Governorate. Formally commissioned last November, the facility features 13 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 50 MW.
Tanweer also plans to award, before the end of this year, a contract for the implementation of a unique Independent Power Project (IPP) comprising 11 small-scale solar-diesel hybrid power projects at various locations across its license. The selected developer will finance, develop, operate and maintain these new hybrid plants, which will offer 37 MW-peak of total PV capacity and 28 MW of battery storage capacity.
Commenting on the company’s thrust towards renewables, Eng Saleh bin Nasser al Rumhi (pictured), Chief Executive Officer, said: “Tanweer is steadily moving towards a better future, orienting its ambition to achieve a vision of greener energy while employing strength and determination from the capabilities of our human resources, promoting our values of teamwork, respect, integrity, quality, professionalism and customer focus.”
Further accentuating its role as a utility catering to the needs of customers in rural parts of the Sultanate, Tanweer was granted authority to exercise the powers vested with the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) within the limits of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Duqm. These powers were conferred by the SEZ Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) last year.
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