Intl firms in fray for electric vehicles’ study

MUSCAT, APRIL 25 -

A number of international firms have signaled their desire to compete for a consultancy contract to advise the Authority for Electricity Regulation Oman (AER) — the regulator for the power and water industry — on the development of a framework to support the adoption of Electric Vehicles in the Sultanate.

In a tweet, the Authority announced that as many as 17 proposals were received from bidders before Monday’s (April 23) deadline for consultancy firms to register their interest.

“The Authority received 17 proposals to review the key electricity sector regulatory issues relating to the use of electric vehicles in Oman from a range of international consultancies. The bids will be evaluated with a view to making a recommendation to (Authority) Members during May,” it stated.

The planned regulatory exercise stems from a commitment made by the Authority in its Forward Work Plan for 2018 announcing its intention to “carry out a review of international best practice in relation to the regulatory framework to support the introduction of Electric Vehicles”. It describes EVs as encompassing both fully battery operated and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The review, it said, was not limited to “potential capital costs from development of public EV recharge stations, network and connection issues, safety issues, metering costs and the required licence and Code modifications”.

“As an initial step, the Authority wishes to retain experienced consulting advisers to undertake a high-level review of international best practice and to assess the extent to which those approaches could be adapted, given the specific circumstances in Oman. This initial work will make specific recommendations for steps that the Authority should consider immediately to facilitate the use of Electric Vehicles in Oman, together with broader recommendations for future studies,” the regulator said in a backgrounder on the proposed review.

As part of its remit, the selected consultant will be required to, among other things, conduct a review and assessment of international best practice in terms of electricity sector regulatory frameworks and how they have evolved in relation to the challenge of supporting EVs. In addition, the firm will study key developments in the market for electric vehicles that may impact on the future design of regulatory frameworks.

Also as part of its brief, the consultant is required to make specific recommendations for the standards that should be adopted for EV chargers (considering practices in neighbouring countries, metering, connection designs and public safety).

Additionally, the consultancy firm will offer its assessment on tariff evolution (and related metering requirements) that might “better enable the development of EVs in Oman and their potential impacts on Government subsidy levels to the electricity sector”.