Saturday 23 / November / 2024
Musandam: Musandam Power Company (MPC), an affiliated company of Oman Gas Company (OGC), has successfully reached the Commercial Operations Date (COD) of its 120 megawatt (MW) dual-fuel power plant located in the Wilayat of Bukha in the Governorate of Musandam.
The dual-fuel plant will use natural gas as its primary fuel, with light fuel oil as a back-up to ensure uninterrupted power production. Electricity output will be supplied to the existing medium voltage grid through a new 132 kilovolt (KV) transmission line being built by the Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAEC). The project’s 120MW net output capacity will support demand growth in the Governorate of Musandam.
MPC’s power plant has completed the necessary tests and is now ready to serve Musandam with clean power for the lifetime of the plant, having first exported power into the grid in April 2017.
Sultan bin Hamad Al Burtmani, acting executive managing director of OGC, said, "We are very pleased for reaching this important milestone. MPC is the first Omani power project lead developed by an Omani developer and in doing so represents an important step for OGC’s power strategy. OGC’s long-term goal is to establish the first internationally recognised Omani independent developer of different energy sources."
MPC has also signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP). Under this agreement, OPWP will purchase the electrical power capacity produced from the plant for a period of 15 years.
Commenting on this, Yaqoob bin Saif Al Kiyumi, chief executive officer of OPWP said: "This new electrical capacity from this plant will contribute to the growing power demand to meet the needs of urban, industrial and tourism development in the Governorate of Musandam. Additionally, the operation of this plant will significantly contribute to the reduction of the electricity generation cost in the region as the plant will be operated by using the natural gas for the first time in the Governorate of Musandam."
Salim bin Marhoon Al Hashmi, MPC director, said, "The plant can operate in extreme conditions, including high humidity and temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. It will play an essential role in delivering flexible and sustainable energy to the governorate. The project will enable MPC to meet the needs of current and upcoming power demand in Musandam, as well as benefit the local community."
Al Hashmi further said, "The power plant comprises 15 Wartsila dual-fuel 34DF engines, allowing for ultra-flexible operations, such as responding to load variations between 10MW and 120MW. The plant will run in island mode on the isolated Musandam grid, making reliability a key feature. Wartsila will deliver the power plant on a turnkey basis."
As Oman’s first independent power project in the Governorate of Musandam, MPC will use natural gas to be processed by OOC’s wholly owned subsidiary, Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production from the adjacent Musandam Gas Processing Plant to integrate the value chain and maximise value from Oman’s resources.
The new plant was constructed and will be operated by technology provider Wartsila Muscat, a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for marine and energy markets.
