Oman Completes First Phase Of North-South Power Interconnection

10 Nov 2023 Issue: 66 / 45 By: James Marriott

Oman’s transmission company has finished the first half of its plan to link its northern and southern power grids. In joining the two regions, the company is also looking to facilitate the integration of major renewable energy projects into the national network, not least in the Duqm region.

Oman’s electricity grid has long been an anomaly in the GCC. The country is home to three separate major networks: the Main Interconnected Network (MIS) located in and around Muscat in the north, the Dhofar Power System (DPS) in the country’s south, and the Musandam Power System (MPS) for the Sultanate’s northern exclave. Added to this are Petroleum Development Oman’s (PDO) dedicated transmission network and small-scale connections run by the Rural Areas Electricity Company (Tanweer).

In an effort to link these separate networks the state-led firm Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) in 2020 kicked off a OMR 183mn ($475mn) first phase grid unification project (MEES, 30 October 2020). OETC now says the overall investment budget for both phases will be OMR 370mn ($966mn). (CONTINUED - 1282 WORDS)