MUSCAT - Al Batinah Power, owner of the Sohar 2 power plant, and Al Suwadi Power, owner of the Barka 3 power plant, are celebrating the official opening and first successful year of their operations in Oman. The official inaugurations of these large, state-of-the-art facilities have been proposed to be celebrated on March 24 and 26 at the respective plant locations.
The proposed inauguration ceremony at the Sohar 2 power plant will be graced by Mohammed bin Salim al Tobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, and the inauguration ceremony at the Barka 3 power plant by Ahmed bin Abdallah al Shuhi, Minister of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources.
They will be joined by Willem Van Twembeke, President and CEO of GDF SUEZ Energy International, government officials from Oman, and senior management representatives of the anchor shareholders of both the firms: GDF SUEZ of France; Suhail Bahwan Group and the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI) of Oman, and Sojitz Corporation and Shikoku Electric Power Co, Inc of Japan. In a joint statement revealing the plan for the inauguration ceremonies, Jurgen De Vyt, CEO of Al Batinah Power, and Przemek Lupa, CEO of Al Suwadi Power, said: "This is an important milestone for both companies. It provides an opportunity to celebrate our first year of successful operation and it signals the start of the committed journey of our two organisations. As the largest power suppliers of Oman, our mission is to energize the growth of this ambitious nation."
"The IPO of both companies, slated to open in May 2014 subject to regulatory approvals, will provide the citizens of Oman the opportunity to participate in this promising journey," they added.
Al Batinah Power (Sohar 2 power plant) and Al Suwadi Power (Barka 3 power plant) are together currently Oman's largest operating power companies in terms of installed electrical capacity. As of 2013, the 1488 MW installed capacity of these plants (Al Batinah Power -- 744 MW & Al Suwadi Power -- 744 MW), represents approximately 27 per cent of Oman's MIS total installed capacity of ca. 5589MW.
The Sohar 2 and Barka 3 power plants were successfully completed and commenced full commercial operation on schedule in April 2013.
Both plants have a similar configuration and employ Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, which -- for each plant -- consists of two gas turbines, each combined with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), and one steam turbine. Thanks to this state-of-the-art technology, Sohar 2 and Barka 3 are the most energy efficient large-scale power plants in Oman. The EPC contractors for both projects were Siemens AG of Germany &GS Engineering and Construction Corporation of Korea.
(OEPPA Business Development Dept)
© Oman Daily Observer 2014
