07 September 2015
MUSCAT: CESI Middle East, a global leader in technical consulting and engineering, has been selected by the Rural Areas Electricity Company in Oman (RAECO) to provide consultancy services supervising the development and implementation of a number of renewable energy projects in the country.

The projects will be located in Dhofar and Al Wusta Governorates, with feasibility studies en route determining their final location, the consultancy firm said in a press statement.

With a focus on working towards a more sustainable future, securing a less polluted environment, the Sultanate has consistently sought to move past its dependence on fossil fuels to meet the energy needs of its current population. CESI's specialised know-how, technical excellence, and strong understanding of the country's and region's energy sector, will be providing RAECO with the expertise to implement renewable energy systems across the different projects, in-turn saving manpower, spare parts and most importantly, reducing the consumption of diesel fuel.

With Oman having one of the highest levels of solar energy densities in the world, receiving up to 7,900 gigawatts from the sun per day, RAECO chose an industry leader to utilise this significant advantage and oversee the construction and implementation of renewable resource generators reducing the country's heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

CESI's extensive experience in the study of potential renewable resources generators and their performance evaluation will be used to provide RAECO with a range of support services including the development of a new internal renewable energy strategy and policy, which will outline how to increase the percentage of electricity that is produced from renewable energy plants. The internal strategy will further assist RAECO in an eco-technical evaluation of the received bids from bidders defining broader capability criteria.

CESI will also conduct an array of trainings aimed at enhancing RAECO's staff capabilities of performing the implementation activities and in dealing with any renewable energy technology matters.

The various construction and implementation phases for the selected projects will be under the supervision of CESI, who will be providing full technical and economic feasibility studies for each project, and assisting RAECO in the tendering phase and in the evaluation of bids.

Hamed bin Salim al Magdheri, CEO - RAECO, said: "With Oman having one of the highest potential of harnessing solar energy in the world, RAECO's renewable energy projects will further enhance its position as one of the leading companies in the renewable energy sector. We are confident that our work with CESI will support the Sultanate of Oman in exploiting renewable energy resources, securing a sustainable future for generations to come."

CESI has previously collaborated with the Electricity Holding Company SAOC (EHC) to introduce automated meter reading technology or smart metering. CESI also provides technical services to update some of the system operational studies for GCCIA that has built a 400-kV super grid that connects the electrical power networks of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

© Oman Daily Observer 2015