BUSINESS REPORTER -
MUSCAT, FEB 1
Power production in the Sultanate, which been growing at an annual rate of around 5 per cent, declined last year as consumption trends were impacted by the economic slowdown compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to figures released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), total electricity dipped 2.6 per cent to 35,540.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) during the first 11 months of 2020, versus 36,506.5 GWh for the corresponding period of 2019.
Potable water production on the other hand climbed 6.5 per cent to reach 396.83 million cubic metres during the first 10 months of the year, compared to 372.57 million cubic metres during the same period of 2019.
But some governorates of the Sultanate registered a slight uptick in power output.
Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah Governorates produced 22,251.1 GWh of power during the January – November 2020 period, which was up 1.1 per cent over the corresponding period of 2019.
Dhofar posted a 4.6 per cent slide in output, totalling 3,506.5 GWh last year, compared to 3,674.4 GWh in 2019.
The figures encompasses the power purchases of Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) and the Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAEC), as well as a number of captive power plants and diesel rental units. Muscat Governorate, which hosts one of the largest potable water production hubs, produced 171.80 million cubic metres of water during the January — October 2020 period, up 4.4 per cent from last year’s corresponding total of 164.48 million cubic metres.
Output in the Governorate of Dhofar climbed 5.5 per cent to reach 52.86 million cubic metres versus 50.11 million cubic metres in 2019.
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