French-Omani group to build 120MW wind farm

• Project in Ash Sharqiyah
• Consists of 16 wind turbines
• Planned for connection in 2027

Oman has selected a French-Omani consortium to build a 120-megawatt (MW) wind power plant costing OMR50 million ($130 million).

A group comprising EDF Power Solutions, Al Khadra Partners and OQ Alternative Energy (OQAE) signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the state-run Nama Power and Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP).

The project will be located in the Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate, nearly 440km from the port of Duqm and spans an area of 10.7 sq km. The wind farm will consist of 16 turbines, each with a power output of 7.7MW, Nama PWP said in a statement.

The consortium will develop, build, own and operate the wind farm, which is expected to reach financial close next year. It will be connected to the grid in the third quarter of 2027.

Upon completion, the wind farm will generate renewable electricity sufficient to power more than 13,500 Omani households. 

“The project will contribute to reducing carbon emissions by approximately 270,000 tonnes annually,” said Oman’s energy minister Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi.

The wind farm will free up about 67 million cubic metres of natural gas each year, supporting the sultanate’s energy diversification objectives, said Ahmed bin Salim Al Abri, CEO of Nama PWP.

• Oman unveils $29bn plan to meet water demand by 2050
• Oman’s OQ seeks partners for Duqm petchems project
• Oman set to finalise 2GW green projects by year-end

Earlier this month OQAE, the Omani state-backed renewable energy company, said it was preparing to approve final investment decisions on 2 gigawatts of projects before the year-end.

In November, a consortium comprising OQAE, the UAE’s Masdar and South Korea’s Midland Power appointed Chinese state-owned CPECC as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the 500MW Ibri III independent solar power project in northwest Oman.

Oman is targeting net zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. The Gulf state aims to produce 30 percent of its electricity using renewable sources by 2030 and reach 100 percent clean energy capacity by 2050.