ALBAWABA – The region stands on the verge of transformation as Oman launches the first Green Energy-powered water desalination project in the wider Middle East region, the Oman Daily Observer reported Saturday.
According to Zawya, The Independent Water Project (IWP), at Sur, is owned and operated by the Sharqiyah Desalination Company SAOG (SDC).
The project sources more than 33 percent of its energy needs from a new captive solar photovoltaic farm installed nearby, in partnership with major French energy company TotalEnergies, Zawya reported.
SDC is a publicly-traded company, backed by France-based global water and environmental services specialist Veolia, operating an 80,000 cubic meters per day capacity desalination operation at Sur.
Milestones for the First Green Energy-powered water desalination project in Oman
“The plant will produce annually up to 30,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of green electricity, which is enough to cover more than 33 percent of the plant’s daily consumption and will avoid some 280 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions,” said Denis Le-Maout, Chairman of Sharqiyah Desalination.
It is the first project of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman and one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) systems providing power for a desalination plant in the region, he said.
“It also contributes to Oman’s National Energy Strategy to convert 30 percent of its electricity use to renewable sources by 2030,” Le-Maout added in a statement, carried by the Oman Daily Observer.
This shift to renewable electricity is part of a trend that is gaining traction across the wider economy.
Over the past couple of years, growing numbers of companies – distributed across the agriculture, farming, educational, hospitality, retail, industrial, refining, petrochemical and other sectors – are investing in solar PV capacity to offset part of their fossil-fuel based energy dependence, according to Zawya.
The pivot to renewable power is expected to build up as Oman works to achieve its energy targets.
