Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the entity responsible for managing the national grid in Oman, has outlined a comprehensive plan for the implementation of 41 projects across the country from 2024 to 2028. These projects will play a crucial role in enhancing and expanding the capabilities of the grid.
The majority of these projects will be focused on increasing the capacity of the transmission system to meet the growing demand for electricity, connecting new power generation sources, extending the grid to rural areas, and ensuring compliance with the Transmission Security Standard. Eng Saleh bin Nasser al Rumhi, the CEO of OETC, emphasized the importance of these initiatives.
The upcoming projects include the construction of grid stations that will facilitate the integration of renewable energy generated from solar and wind power projects located in different parts of the country. Additionally, there are plans to establish 400kV transmission networks, cross-border interconnections, and a significant backbone transmission system. These developments are highlighted in OETC's recently published 5-Year Annual Transmission Capability Statement.
The 41 transmission projects, as mentioned by Eng Al Rumhi, have been designed to align with the country's capacity generation and distribution requirements outlined by Nama Power and Water Procurement Company (NPWP), along with the two primary distribution companies - Nama Electricity Distribution Company (NEDC) and Nama Dhofar Services (NDS).
Currently, there are transmission projects in progress to link three solar PV schemes that are either under construction or in the procurement phase. Manah I and II, two adjacent solar PV schemes with a combined capacity of 1000 MW, are set to be connected to the grid by mid-2024, with the solar plants themselves expected to be operational by Q2 2025.
Following this, OETC is focusing on transmission projects to connect the proposed 500MW Ibri III Solar IPP to the transmission grid by Q1 2026, as well as a new green-field 500 MW capacity Solar IPP planned in Al Kamil for launch in Q2 2027.
A number of new Wind IPPs, set to be procured by Nama PWP in the coming years, are also planned to be integrated into the national grid through multiple transmission projects. In the Main Interconnected System (MIS), wind IPPs are scheduled for Jalaan Bani Bu Ali (200 MW), Mahout (400 MW), and Ras Madrakah (300 MW). Meanwhile, in the Dhofar System, wind farms will be established in Harweel (200 MW) and Sadah (70 MW). These projects will be connected to the grid at different times between 2026 and 2027.
Various transmission projects currently in progress are associated with OETC’s significant North-South Interconnection Project (Rabt). Phase 2 of Rabt, which commenced earlier this year, is expected to be finished by Q2 2027.
Al Rumhi emphasized the importance of the project, stating: “The interconnector (Phase 1&2) will bring substantial benefits to the Sultanate of Oman through anticipated fuel savings resulting from improved dispatch coordination among different power systems, access to areas with renewable energy potential, sharing of spinning reserves (reducing operating costs), decreased reliance on diesel generation, harmonization of generation capacity, and enhancement of grid resiliency. Furthermore, it will facilitate the evacuation of new renewable sources, future connection of large-scale potential hydrogen projects, and the strengthening of MIS and Dhofar systems resiliency.”.
