Oman's “largest utility scale renewable energy project,” the 500 MW Ibri 2 solar field, has been inaugurated after a 13-month construction period.
Saudi energy company ACWA Power, part of a development consortium behind the $417 million, 1.5 million-panel plant announced last week the completion of the site, despite “disruptions to the supply chain as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
ACWA said the solar plant in Oman's Ad-Dhahirah governorate, which will generate enough electricity to power 50,000 homes, will sell electricity to state-owned utility the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company under a 15-year contract. ACWA did not specify how much the power company would pay for electricity generated at Ibri 2.
Ibri 2 was developed by a consortium comprised of 50% Saudi state-owned ACWA Power; the Gulf Investment Corporation funded by the governments of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE; and Kuwaiti renewables developer Alternative Energy Projects Co. The latter business is 44.7% owned by the Al Futtooh holding company which is controlled by members of the Kuwaiti royal family.
Ibri 2, which consists of bifacial solar panels, is set to help Oman towards its goal of having renewables generate 20% of its electricity this decade and “up to 39%” by 2040.
