PAEW plans new Quriyat water desalination project

Speaking to Muscat Daily on the sidelines of the ground-breaking ceremony of ACWA Power Barka's water expansion project in Barka on Wednesday, PAEW chairman H E Mohammed bin Abdullah al Mahrouqi said that the desalination plant in Quriyat will have a capacity of 180,000m2 per day and will be completed by 2016.

He said, “We are also planning a water treatment plant for Wadi Dayqah Dam, which will be completed hopefully by 2015. These are some of the large projects that PAEW is coming up with to meet the increasing demand for water in the sultanate.”

Regarding a new upcoming 200MW-250MW power project in the Salalah area, H E Mahrouqi said that the tender for the power plant will be released soon and the project is expected to begin in early 2013.

“Currently the Authority is conducting a study for this new power project in the Salalah area to meet the increasing demand for power. The plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2015,” he said.

H E Mahrouqi said that Oman has seen a surge in demand for power in 2012 and this will continue in the years to come.

“There has been a 10-12 per cent annual growth in the demand for power in Oman. The high demand reflects the economic growth of the sultanate and makes it a healthy environment for investment. Currently we are building power plants in the sultanate to meet the demand.

"We are also conducting a study, in collaboration with a Japanese company, on increasing efficiency from the end user's side,” he added.