Latest news with #AnnualTransmissionCapabilityStatement
Observer
26-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Green energy for Oman's smart city projects
MUSCAT: Oman's national grid will be suitably expanded and modernized to help meet a dramatic leap in the green energy requirements of a slate of Smart Cities and sustainable urban development schemes currently in various stages of early implementation in various parts of the Sultanate. According to Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the majority-state-owned operator of the national grid, an upgrade of the Electricity Transmission Master-Plan for the 2025 – 2040 timeframe will factor in the clean energy demand projections of these landmark urban schemes. 'The plan ensures resilience, reliability, efficiency, and adaptability to future energy needs,' OETC – part of Nama Group – said. 'Additionally, the new plan will include, load forecasting, renewable energy integration plans, green hydrogen integration, transmission expansion planning, ancillary services analysis, economic and environmental assessments and potential cross-border interconnections,' it noted in its latest Annual Transmission Capability Statement. The master-plan envisions significant clean energy demand growth from, among other sectors, a large portfolio of sustainable smart cities being advanced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in alignment with Oman Vision 2040. 'These urban projects aim to enhance economic growth, sustainability, and quality of life by integrating smart infrastructure, green energy, and advanced technology,' said OETC in its statement. Topping the list in terms of anticipated energy demand is the Greater Muscat Structure Plan, an ambitious urban development scheme with a projected clean energy requirement of a hefty 5 gigawatts (GW) when it is fully implemented by 2040. A focused spatial development strategy for the sprawling 1360km² metropolitan region of the city also envisions investments in renewable energy, AI-driven urban services, and transport connectivity. Sultan Haitham City, the country's first fully smart city, is expected to have an energy demand of around 105 MW by 2040. Covering an area of 14.8 million square meters, the new city will comprise as many as 19 integrated neighborhoods to be built in four phases over a 22-year timeframe spanning the 2024 - 2045 period. When fully built out, it will accommodate over 100,000 inhabitants. The smart city will feature net-zero buildings, digital infrastructure, and electric transport. In Dhofar Governorate, the Greater Salalah Structure Plan envisions the development of a regional trade and tourism hub focusing on green infrastructure and wind energy integration. Energy demand is estimated at more than 200MW by 2040. A similar structure plan for Greater Nizwa entails the expansion of the historic city with an emphasis on water management and eco-tourism. Clean energy demand is projected at over 400 MW by 2040. Likewise, the Ibri Structural Plan – centring on the establishment of a logistics and renewable energy hub supporting solar and wind power projects – estimates clean energy demand at more than 350MW by 2040. In Suhar, a new smart industrial and residential city is envisaged with the goal of enhancing Oman's role as a trade and logistics center. The estimated energy demand of the city is more than 240MW by 2040. 'OETC plays a vital role in integrating these smart cities into a reliable, efficient, and future-ready power grid. The main areas of integration include renewable energy by expanding transmission networks to support solar, wind, and decentralized power generation, Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure by establishing smart EV charging networks across new urban areas and grid expansion via enhancing transmission lines and reactive power compensation to support urban growth,' the grid operator added.
Observer
21-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
OETC plans 51 power transmission projects across Oman by 2029
MUSCAT, MAY 21 Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the majority state-owned operator and owner of the country's national grid, has unveiled plans for substantial investments in a broad portfolio of network expansion and modernization projects aimed at supporting Oman's ambitious clean energy and industrial growth strategies. As many as 51 key projects have been identified by OETC – part of Nama Group – for implementation over the next five years spanning the 2025-2029 timeframe. 'Most of the projects are designed to increase the transmission system capacity to meet the future growth in demand, connect new generations from renewable energy and conventional resources, connect new rural areas, and meet the Transmission Security Standard,' said Saleh bin Nasser Al Rumhi, Chief Executive Officer, in the latest Annual Transmission Capability Statement issued on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Targeted for grid connection over the next five years is an array of solar PV Independent Power Projects (IPPs). They include the 500 MW Ibri Solar III project, which is expected to be connected to the grid by Q2 2026; the 280 MW Al Kamil Solar IPP and 220 MW Solar PV IPP 2028 project slated to be connected by Q3 2027, and a pair of Solar PV IPPs with proposed sites in the Al Sharqiyah North and South Governorates, each contributing 500MW. In parallel, a large slate of wind farms are planned to be integrated into the national grid as well. The list includes the JBB Ali wind farm, with a planned capacity of 100MW, and scheduled to be connected to the grid by Q2 2026. Additionally, the existing 50MW Dhofar I wind farm is set for expansion, with an additional 120 MW planned for grid connection by Q4 of 2026. Other significant wind projects include Ras Madrakah (250MW) and Mahout (350 MW), both planned for connection Q2 2027. By the Q2 2029, several additional wind farms are expected to be operational, including Mahout II (350MW), Al Jazer (100MW), Shaleem (100MW), and Sadah (90MW), further boosting Oman's renewable energy generation capacity. Also slated for grid connection is a pair of conventional gas-powered IPPs planned at Misfah (1600 MW) and Duqm (800 MW). The Misfah IPP, which is designed to secure power supply to the Muscat demand centre, will also necessitate major reinforcement initiatives in the Main Interconnected System (MIS), including five 400kV grid stations with associated lines. It will be connected to the grid by Q3 2027, followed by the Duqm IPP by Q2 2028. Meanwhile, Phase 2 of the strategic North-South Interconnector Project (Rabt) – focusing on a stretch extending from Duqm to Dhofar – is slated for completion by Q4 2026. Commenting on its overall significance, OETC's CEO stated: 'The interconnector (Phase 1&2) will add significant benefits for the Sultanate of Oman due to the expected fuel savings from the improved dispatch coordination among different power systems, access to areas with the potential of renewable energy, sharing of spinning reserves (reducing operating costs), reduction of dependency on diesel generation, generation capacity harmonization and improvement of grid resiliency. In addition, it will contribute to the evacuation of new renewable sources, future integration of large-scale potential hydrogen project integration and enhancing MIS and Dhofar systems resiliency,' he added.
