25 May 2015
MUSCAT: A Belgian firm specialising in offshore renewable energy and storage solutions is mooting a combination of wind energy and pumped hydro storage (PHS) to power the Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Antwerp-based Rent-A-Port Energy says a study it conducted jointly with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has established the feasibility of developing "cost-efficient large-scale energy storage facilities" that will take advantage of the topography of the Duqm shoreline.  These Pumped Hydro Storage plants are proposed to be developed in conjunction with large-scale wind farms that will harness Duqm's abundant wind energy resources.

According to Bruno Reul, Project Manager at Rent-A-Port Energy, seawater storage reservoirs built atop the limestone cliffs and headlands overlooking the sea at Duqm will serve as 'hydraulic heads' to generate hydro-electricity via turbines during the day. At night, when electricity demand typically falls, surplus power from the wind farm will be utilized to pump seawater back up into the cliff-level reservoirs.

Presenting at a key forum held in Muscat last week, Reul said renewables and pumped hydro storage were the way forward for meeting the energy needs of a remote location like Duqm.

"Currently, Duqm is not integrated with the national grid, and relies fully on diesel-based power supply. In this context, renewable energy sources (RES), and especially wind power, are not only fully competitive, but also cost-advantageous. But due to their intermittency, renewables enjoy limited penetration rates in the current energy mix," he said.

"Even with pumped hydro storage, wind energy remains competitive when compared with gas and oil-based alternatives. Our pre-feasibility study shows that very significant cost savings can be achieved by combining wind power with pumped hydro storage (PHS), in comparison with 100 per cent diesel generation," he added.
Rent-A-Port Energy acts as a project developer, setting up partnerships and dedicated companies that implement innovative energy projects. The company, together with its sister company Rent-A-Port, has access to a very wide network of potential partners and sponsors worldwide. Significantly, Rent-A-Port is a part of Consortium Antwerp Port (CAP), which is a 50 per cent shareholder in Port of Duqm Company.

Rent-A-Port Energy has already developed a portfolio of projects -- some operational, other in various stages of implementation --- that are based on the same concept at the heart of the Duqm proposal. It owns stakes in three upcoming offshore wind farms in Belgium of a total capacity 780MW. Besides, it is developing a pumped water storage project, as well as an offshore grid venture in Belgium.

As for Rent-A-Port Energy's proposal for Duqm, Reul said: "A Pumped Hydro Storage facility of 20 MW, together with a 50MW wind farm, will initially meet 50 per cent of the energy needs of Duqm. This will result in savings of 45 per cent if the alternative was diesel based generation.  Without storage, the savings will be a mere 10-15 per cent. The capacity of the wind farm can also be gradually expanded to 150 MW after 10 years."

"Longer term, 20MW storage can also help to balance the local grid. Storage and pumped hydro storage, with high flexibility and fast response time, can really be a good tool in maintaining supply of good quality electricity from the grid," he added.

© Oman Daily Observer 2015