MUSCAT: Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAEC) will sign a number of agreements for Dhofar wind power project on Tuesday at Muscat Intercontinental Hotel. It will include signing of the Power Purchase Agreement by RAEC with Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, and Electricity Connection Agreement with Oman Electricity Transmission Company, with the EPC contract been awarded by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to the successful bidder.
The ceremony will be under the patronage of Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chairman of the General Authority for Electricity and Water, in the presence of a number of officials from the Sultanate and the United Arab of Emirates.
The 50 MW wind energy project will be based in Fatkhait area at Wilayat of Shalem and Halaniyat Islands in the Governorate of Dhofar.
The project will be built according to the latest international standards and expected to generate about 160 GWh per year, that can meet the power needs of about 16,000 homes and will help avoid the release of 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually through the installation of 13 wind turbines. Expected operation date will be in the third quarter of 2019.
The Sultanate, represented by the Rural Areas Electricity Company, has signed in August 2014 a Joint Development Agreement with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to build this wind power plant as the first of its kind in the Gulf region. The project works include the development, design, engineering, construction, installation, maintenance and operation of the wind turbines, its substations and the power lines which will be connected with the network of Oman Electricity Transmission Company.
This project will be the first of its kind on the GCC level, between the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE. The project will boost the total electricity production capacity in Dhofar Governorate by utilising wind resources where the average wind speed is between 7 to 8 m/s. The project will also contribute to the training of local cadres and will provide a number of employment opportunities.
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