30 July 2015
MUSCAT: Oman has started officially cooperating with the GCC Interconnection Authority since this year, as the Sultanate receives and transfers electricity for emergency or commercial purposes, said an Omani official.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said recently issued Royal Decree No. 25/2015 ratifying the General Agreement for the Electrical Grid of the GCC Countries signed on November 20, 2014.
"The physical interconnection is already there. We have been benefiting indirectly from it, and from this year onwards we will be an official partner in the GCC Interconnection Authority," said Abdul Wahab Al Hinai, director of licences and legal affairs at Oman's Authority for Electricity Regulation.
Speaking to Times of Oman, Al Hinai said that the official partnership will allow the Sultanate to receive electricity supplies during emergency situations, support other members and trade electricity for commercial purposes.
"From this year onwards, we will have international interconnection with GCC countries through Oman's interconnection with the UAE. The UAE is interconnected with the GGC interconnection so we can have exchanges of power either for emergency cases or even export and import power for commercial trading," he said.
Network stability
Commenting on the significance of the project, the official said, "It is one of the most important projects for the stability of the network."
"We have had a number of incidents in Oman where we received emergency support from the interconnection, and Oman has also supported other GCC countries when they had incidents. So it works both ways. We give power and get power from them," Al Hinai added.
On the limitations for cooperation, he noted, "There are two types of limitations. There are technical limitations, in terms of the capacity, and there are legal limitations for the export and import of electricity."
Water network
Asked whether there are any plans for cooperation on water transfer between the GCC countries, Al Hinai said that this issue does not fall within the scope of the activities of the Authority for Electricity Regulation.
"However, as far as I know, there are talks about water interconnection. But I think water networks are not as developed as electricity networks, realistically speaking," said the official.
Objectives
The GCC Interconnection Authority is seeking to achieve several objectives.
According to the authority, it aims to link the electrical power networks in the member states by providing the necessary investments for the exchange of electrical power in order to face the loss of the ability to generate electricity in emergency situations.
Improving the economic efficiency of the electricity power systems in the member states is another objective of the authority.
It also strives to provide the basis for the exchange of electrical power among the member states in such a way as to serve the economic aspects and strengthen the reliability of electrical supplies.
The authority also follows world technological developments in the field of electricity and seeks to apply the best modern technologies.
MUSCAT: Oman has started officially cooperating with the GCC Interconnection Authority since this year, as the Sultanate receives and transfers electricity for emergency or commercial purposes, said an Omani official.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said recently issued Royal Decree No. 25/2015 ratifying the General Agreement for the Electrical Grid of the GCC Countries signed on November 20, 2014.
"The physical interconnection is already there. We have been benefiting indirectly from it, and from this year onwards we will be an official partner in the GCC Interconnection Authority," said Abdul Wahab Al Hinai, director of licences and legal affairs at Oman's Authority for Electricity Regulation.
Speaking to Times of Oman, Al Hinai said that the official partnership will allow the Sultanate to receive electricity supplies during emergency situations, support other members and trade electricity for commercial purposes.
"From this year onwards, we will have international interconnection with GCC countries through Oman's interconnection with the UAE. The UAE is interconnected with the GGC interconnection so we can have exchanges of power either for emergency cases or even export and import power for commercial trading," he said.
Network stability
Commenting on the significance of the project, the official said, "It is one of the most important projects for the stability of the network."
"We have had a number of incidents in Oman where we received emergency support from the interconnection, and Oman has also supported other GCC countries when they had incidents. So it works both ways. We give power and get power from them," Al Hinai added.
On the limitations for cooperation, he noted, "There are two types of limitations. There are technical limitations, in terms of the capacity, and there are legal limitations for the export and import of electricity."
Water network
Asked whether there are any plans for cooperation on water transfer between the GCC countries, Al Hinai said that this issue does not fall within the scope of the activities of the Authority for Electricity Regulation.
"However, as far as I know, there are talks about water interconnection. But I think water networks are not as developed as electricity networks, realistically speaking," said the official.
Objectives
The GCC Interconnection Authority is seeking to achieve several objectives.
According to the authority, it aims to link the electrical power networks in the member states by providing the necessary investments for the exchange of electrical power in order to face the loss of the ability to generate electricity in emergency situations.
Improving the economic efficiency of the electricity power systems in the member states is another objective of the authority.
It also strives to provide the basis for the exchange of electrical power among the member states in such a way as to serve the economic aspects and strengthen the reliability of electrical supplies.
The authority also follows world technological developments in the field of electricity and seeks to apply the best modern technologies.
© Times of Oman 2015
