MUSCAT -- As the first Gulf country to privatise its electricity production, Oman has played a defining role in the success of GDF Suez in the GCC. In tribute to the start of commercial production at the new Barka 3 Power Plant and to demonstrate the importance of Oman in the company's vision, GDF Suez Chairman and CEO Gerard Mestrallet recently visited the plant, accompanied by senior members of GDF Suez Leadership team. Mestrallet and his team were on an unofficial visit to Oman for an internal regional business review.
Barka 3 Power Plant, owned by Al Suwadi Power Company, in which GDF SUEZ owns a 46 per cent share, has a lifespan of 30-40 years and is already an integral component of the national infrastructure, providing an additional 750 MW to meet the demands of an increasing population in Oman. Gerard Mestrallet made a presentation to local Omani workers to commend the achievement of commercial production at Barka 3 and the safety achievement at Barka 2 plant. The STOMO team at Barka 2 recently achieved a safety record of 2,000 accident free days, i.e a record that spans almost five and a half years with eighty full time employees and many sub-contractors during the maintenance season.
Gerard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of GDF SUEZ commented on the importance of Oman and the Middle East to GDF SUEZ "As one of the world's leading providers in the utilities sector, entry into Oman was a vital strategic move for our expansion into the Middle East 15 years ago. To have developed such a strong relationship with governments and partners by consistently providing reliable supplies of power and water has been part of our blueprint for success as a trusted supplier throughout the region. We remain committed to the Middle East and thank the Government/Sultanate of Oman for partnering with us over a decade ago."
Dirk Beeuwsaert, Executive Vice-President, in charge of the Energy International Business Line, and President of International Power Ltd said: "GDF SUEZ operations in the Middle East prove that, where conditions are available for a healthy business environment underpinned by a vision of strong economic diversification, significant international investment and expertise applied at a local level can guarantee consistent power production. Our nomination as Preferred Bidder in Kuwait, the last Gulf Country to open up privatisation, demonstrates the importance of the region in our international profile as GDF SUEZ is now visible throughout all GCC countries."
Willem Van Twembeke CEO of GDF SUEZ Energy International added: "As a global group, GDF SUEZ brings benefits to its regional stakeholders and partners through high-quality asset management. The size of our regional and global portfolio allows us to leverage on people, processes and technology, resulting in broad multidisciplinary expertise on which we can constantly draw for any of our projects."
GDF Suez Oman's portfolio includes six projects:
Sohar 1: a 585 MW electricity generation and 33 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) seawater desalination plant. The plant is owned by Sohar Power Company SAOG, which is listed on the Muscat Securities Market.
Al Rusail: a natural gas-fired 665 MW power plant. It was the first state-owned power plant to be privatized in Oman.
Barka 2: An Independent Power & Water project with a design net power output of 678 MW in a combined cycle mode, and a water production capacity of 26 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) or 120,000 m3 per day. Both SMN Barka Power Company SAOC and Al Rusail Power Company SAOC are held by SMN Power Holding SAOG. Since the successful IPO in October 2011, 35 per cent of SMN Power is listed on the MSM.
Al Kamil: Al Kamil Power Company is an independent power generation company established to build, own and operate the 277 MW power plant located in Al Kamil.
Sohar 2 and Barka 3: These are coastal, gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants with a capacity of 744 MW each.
These plants achieved full commercial operation in April 2013, well in time to meet the peak electricity demand during the Sultanate's hot summer months.
Together they add almost 1,500 MW of power to the Sultanate's current existing capacity of circa 4,500 MW.
Al Batinah Power Company is the owner of the Sohar 2 plant and Al Suwadi Power Company is the owner of the Barka 3 plant.
© Oman Daily Observer 2013
