Agreement opens door to unite Oman's power grid

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Nama Group, both Omani entities, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) his week with two Nama members to facilitate a more efficient countrywide power infrastructure.

Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) and Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) co-signed the agreement at the start of a three-day Oman Energy & Water Exhibition and Conference at the Oman International Exhibition Centre at Seeb, enabling what are now four distinct electricity suppliers to eventually unite through a 400 kilovolt power transmission hub.

Consequently, the existing four providers — the Main Integrated System in the north, the Dhofar System in the south, the Duqm System in the east and PDO in central Oman — will be able to share reserves, coordinate the power supply and streamline planning, with the additional advantage of reduction in the amount of fuel required to power Oman’s facilities.

"This agreement will establish a framework for a more efficient and coordinated national electricity grid by integrating the existing networks,” PDO Managing Director Raoul Restucci said. "PDO and our partners will be able to work together more effectively in ensuring the stability and security of the day-to-day running of the system and also during emergencies.”

The MoU also provides for a technical support center through which PDO, OPWP and OETC can communicate and collaborate on day-to-day operations.

“If one part of the country needs more electricity, this makes it easier to transmit it from another part where there is less demand,” Restucci said. "The new setup will also mean we can reduce the consumption of vital gas for power generation which can be diverted for industrial, commercial and residential uses."

PDO provides approximately 70 percent of Oman’s crude oil and almost all of its natural gas.

"This MoU will provide the opportunity for studying the possibility of interconnecting the unified transmission grid which is owned by Oman Electricity Transmission Company … connecting it with PDO grids, and … extending high voltage lines to the south of the sultanate in Salalah,” OETC CEO Ali Al Hadabi said..