Muscat – Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), a member of Nama Group and sole procurer of new power and water production capacities in the sultanate, has issued a tender seeking consultancy services for a new large-scale solar power plant in Ibri.

The proposed large-scale Ibri III Solar Independent Power Project (IPP) will be connected to the Main Interconnected System (MIS) with a capacity of 500MW. OPWP has targeted the project’s scheduled commercial operation date in the fourth quarter of 2026.

OPWP said it seeks proposals from interested bidders to provide technical consultancy for the development of Ibri III Solar IPP and to advise on the competitive tendering of the project.

‘In line with Oman’s vision to diversify fuel sources through the use of clean energy for power generation, OPWP wishes to initiate the process of procuring additional solar project – Ibri III Solar IPP,’ the company said in a tender announcement.

The tender documents can be purchased till November 8, 2022 and last submission date will be on December 7, 2022, OPWP said.

Oman is currently focusing on expanding its power generation capacities through solar and wind energy projects. The sultanate’s plan is to derive up to 30 per cent of required electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. The government has set at an ambitious target of generating 3,350MW electricity through renewables by 2027.

The sultanate’s first utility-scale solar power plant, Ibri II Solar IPP, started commercial operations in August 2021. The Ibri II Solar IPP is a 500MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power project.

Another two new utility-scale solar power projects – Manah I Solar and Manah II Solar IPPs – in the Wilayat of Manah with a combined capacity of 1,000MW are expected to start commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2024.