China Power Engineering Consulting Group (CPECC) has signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for Oman’s 500MW Ibri 3 solar independent power project (IPP).

The company agreed the deal with the developer consortium of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), Korea Midland Power, and local firms Al-Khadra Partners and OQ Alternative Energy.

Masdar also confirmed that the plant will include a 100MWh battery system, making it Oman’s first utility-scale solar and battery storage project.

The winning consortium signed a power purchase agreement with Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) on 22 September, in a ceremony attended by Salim Bin Nasser Al-Aufi, energy and minerals minister.

The scheme, estimated to cost RO155m ($403m), will be built in the wilayat of Ibri in Al-Dhahirah Governorate. It will be located on a 10 million-square-metre site next to the 500MW Ibri 2 solar IPP, which was inaugurated in January 2022.

Commercial operations are scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.

The Masdar-led group was selected from four bidders. The other competitors included Acwa Power and TotalEnergies Renewables; EDF Renewables and Korean Western Power; and Sembcorp Utilities.

Ibri 3 is Oman’s fourth large-scale solar power project. It forms part of the sultanate’s strategy to generate 30% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, rising to 60%-70% by 2040 and eventually to 100% by 2050.

The Manah 1 and Manah 2 solar IPP projects, each with a capacity of 500MW, were inaugurated earlier this year.

The country’s renewable energy capacity is expected to reach 8GW by 2030, with about 4.5GW of solar IPPs and 1GW of wind capacity planned for development across several sites.

This includes:

• Duqm wind IPP: Located in Ras Madrakah in Duqm, the project will have a capacity of 234MW-270MW, with commercial operations expected in Q4 2027;
• Mahoot wind 1 IPP: Located in Mahoot in Al-Wusta Governate, the wind farm will have a capacity of 342MW-400MW, with a commercial operation target of Q4 2027;
• Sadah wind IPP: Located in Sadah in Dhofar Governorate, it will have a capacity of 81MW-99MW and is due for commercial operation in Q4 2027.

Nama PWP recently invited bids for a consultancy contract covering project management and supervisory services for the Misfah and Duqm IPPs.