MUSCAT -- The state-owned Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) says it is weighing a proposal from SMN Barka Power Company, which owns and operates the Barka II power and water project in Batinah South Governorate, to expand its water desalination capacity. SMN Barka Power has sought the power procurer's green-light to produce around 30,000 cubic metres/day (equivalent to around 6 million imperial gallons per day -- MIGD) of potable water on top of its existing desalination capacity of 120,000 m3/day (26 MIGD). The additional potable water output is proposed to come from reverse osmosis (RO) units fed by beach wells to be located near the existing Barka II plant site.
The proposed output increase, if approved by OPWP, will help go some way in addressing water demand growth in the northern region of Oman, which is projected to increase by six per cent annually, from 218 million m3 in 2012 to 316 million m3 (equivalent to 866,000 m3/day) in 2019. This demand, OPWP says, is driven by rising population growth, economic development and the build-out of water supply networks, but moderated to some extent by a major effort to reduce network losses. More than 220,000 new customers are expected to be added by 2019, according to the power procurer.
In addition to the procurement of new capacity both for potable water and electricity OPWP also sees opportunity for capacity increases of existing assets as one of several options under consideration to help meet the strong growth in power and water demand over the next seven years (2013 - 2019).
If given the nod, SMN Barka Power will not be the first utility to ramp up the capacity of its water desalination plant. ACWA Power Barka, which owns and operates the adjoining Barka I power and desalination project, is already constructing a new RO plant that will add 45,000 m3/day (10 MIGD) of new water capacity to its facilities. The new capacity, which will be available from October this year, will take Barka I's total potable water output to 136,200 m3/day (30 MIGD).
Both Barka I and Barka II supply their output to what is called the 'Interconnected Zone', which serves the governorates of Muscat, Batinah North, Batinah South, Buraimi, Dakhiliya, and (in future) Dhahirah. Other key sources of potable water for this zone are the Ghubrah Power and Desalination Plant, and Sohar I Power and Desalination Plant. But with water demand projected to rise by almost 10 per cent per annum in the Interconnected Zone, OPWP has taken steps to procure or contract new capacity to meet demand growth through 2019.
The new Ghubrah Independent Water Project (IWP), currently under construction, will provide 191,000 m3/day (42 MIGD) of new capacity when it is commissioned in October 2014. Surplus desalination capacity from the state-owned Majis Industrial Services Co (MISC), which provides water-related services to the Port of Sohar, will be contracted from 2013 as well.
In addition, OPWP is planning for two Independent Water Projects at Qurayat and Suwaiq -- to serve the Interconnected Zone. The Qurayat plant proposed to be sized at about 180,000 m3/d (40 MIGD), which may be developed for 2016, or as two phases of 90,000 m3/d (20 MIGD) each for service in 2016 and 2018 respectively. The Suwaiq plant is planned to have capacity of up to 225,000 m3/d (50 MIGD) potentially to be in service in 2018. Both plants would utilise RO technology.
© Oman Daily Observer 2013
