Monday 23 / December / 2024
Muscat: GlassPoint Solar recently concluded construction of the first block of its Miraah solar plant, located at the Amal oilfield operated by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
“Our work was completed safely, on schedule and on budget, and we began producing steam in early September. We are now working alongside our partners at PDO on integrating the plant with the Amal steam network,” said a company statement.
PDO selected GlassPoint to build Miraah following the success of its pilot plant in Oman, where the company demonstrated the reliability and cost effectiveness of solar thermal technology for oilfield applications. “We also learned many lessons along the way that allowed us to enhance our plant design and construction processes.”
GlassPoint is using proven oil and gas industry best practices for executing large-scale EPC projects. Miraah is built using a sequenced deployment process, which divides the construction process into standardised, easily repeatable steps.
Specialised teams move from block to block completing a specific task—like greenhouse glazing or the installation of lightweight parabolic mirrors—optimising the process along the way to speed deployment, control costs and ensuring consistent quality.
GlassPoint has crossed the threshold of one million man-hours without a lost time injury and continues to build on that safety record.
Upon completion, Miraah will be among the world’s largest solar plants, delivering 1,021 megawatts (MW) of peak thermal energy and generating 6,000 tonnes of steam per day. The natural gas saved through the use of our technology at the Amal oilfield can be exported or directed towards high-value applications, such as power generation or industrial development, providing a major opportunity to diversify the local economy.
Construction of Miraah’s remaining 35 blocks is progressing on schedule. “We look forward to sharing more updates from the Amal oilfield soon,” added the statement.
