Another Middle Eastern country is warming up to concentrated solar power, with Oman planning to generate 90 megawatts of electricity from renewable projects by 2019, according to a top Siemens official in the country.
Oman’s experiment with new models in partnership with the private sector and its eagerness in adopting new technology and getting involved in research could pave the way for large-scale renewable projects, Markus-Erich Strohmeier, chief executive officer of Siemens Oman, told the English-language Times of Oman newspaper.
“The Sultanate has long looked to renewable power projects to achieve energy independence, while maintaining steady hydrocarbon exports. With several pilot solar projects, the renewables sector could soon enjoy a period of strong private expansion,” Strohmeier was quoted as saying.
“As part of Siemens Gamesa, we can provide end-to-end turnkey solutions, handling the design, engineering and commissioning of the solar power plants. For instance, we are the leading supplier of steam turbines for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) applications; a technology we are certainly keen on bringing to Oman,” he said.
As the Times pointed out, Siemens Gamesa recently won a tender to develop India’s first large commercial hybrid wind-solar project, where a 28.8MW solar facility will be connected to an existing 50MW wind farm.
Referring to the advantages of renewable energy projects in the Sultanate, Strohmeier said the country’s shift towards renewables made a great deal of sense. The Sultanate enjoys high levels of solar irradiance, and has sufficient land available for large-scale projects.
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