Al Batinah Power's Sohar 2 power plant was officially inaugurated by H E Mohammed al Tobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, on Monday in Sohar.
The event was also attended by Willem Van Twembeke, CEO and president of GDF Suez Energy International, officials from Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), government officials and senior representatives of the shareholders and other stakeholders of Al Batinah Power. The ceremony also marked the first successful year of operations of the company.
Sohar 2 and Barka 3, which is owned by Al Suwadi Power, are twin facilities with 744MW power generation capacity each. Together both plants represent a total investment of US$1.7bn, and total installed capacity of 1,488MW, accounting for about 27 per cent of Oman's main interconnected system's (MIS) total installed capacity of approximately 5,589MW. The Barka 3 plant is scheduled to be inaugurated on Wednesday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mohammed al Mahrooqi, chairman of PAEW, said, "The Sohar 2 power plant, and its twin facility Barka 3, are the outcome of the execution of the visionary policy of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos bin Said towards developing and enhancing the provision of electricity for all citizens and residents in all the governorates of Oman. The launch of these projects is in line with the sultanate's strategy which aims at increasing local and foreign investments in electricity generation and at establishing a firm economic foundation that relies on private sector participation."
Twembeke, said, "Today GDF Suez is the region's leading private developer of power and water projects. Oman holds a very special place at GDF SUEZ. Not just for the business that we operate here, but for the long relationship and for the deep respect and values that we share with our stakeholders in Oman."
GDF Suez is the biggest shareholder in Al Batinah Power and Al Suwadi Power.
The Sohar 2 project was successfully completed and the plant commenced full commercial operation on April 3, 2013.
The initial public offerings (IPOs) of Al Batinah Power and Al Suwadi Power are expected to open in May 2014 and will be completed before Ramadan. The shareholders of both companies will offload 35 per cent of their stake in the IPOs. However, the size of both the IPOs has not been disclosed so far.
© Muscat Daily 2014
