Oman has ambitious plans to expand its renewable energy sector, which focuses on generating 11 per cent of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2023, as per local agency reports.
The country aims to add 30 per cent of clean energy into its energy mix by 2030. The report informed that the ministry is devising various plans and policies to boost renewable energy production in the country.
“Projects of renewable energy contribute to economic diversification plans espoused by the Sultanate at a time the country strives to regulate sources of energy, conserve the environment and limit harmful fossil fuel emissions,” noted the report.
It informed that a number of solar and wind projects are currently being developed in the southern region of Dhofar by state-owned Petroleum Development Oman and Rural Areas Electricity Company,
As per data avaialble,some of the biggest renewable energy projects in Oman are Dhofar wind farm $125 million 50-megawatt,developed by Abu Dhabi’s clean energy company Masdar and funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.It came into operation in 2019, the wind farm generates enough electricity to power about 16,000 homes and displaces 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Other projects in Dhofar are Al Mazyouna solar energy plant with 550MW capacity and the 100MW Amin photovoltaic power plant that was started last year, while Oman Shell launched a 25MW solar plant in Sohar last month.
It may be noted that Oman also has also implementing its plan of developing green hydrogen and last year opened the Oman Hydrogen Centre at German University of Technology in Muscat.
The oil-rich country is moving ahead with the plans to boost its renewable sector. Other countries in the region, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are also moving in the same direction.
The UAE aims to increase the contribution of clean energy to its total energy mix from 25 per cent to 50 per cent by 2050. UAE is also developing a number of renewable energy projects, including the world’s largest solar power plant in Abu Dhabi.
Further, KSA (Saudi Arabia), the world’s largest oil exporter, is also working ambitiously towards implementing renewable power strategy and plans to add 60 gigawatts of clean energy capacity to the national grid.
