MUSCAT, MAY 5
A site in Shinas in North Al Batinah Governorate has been selected to host a 300 MWp-capacity solar PV project that will meet 100% of the energy requirements of the LNG bunkering hub of Marsa LNG set to come up at Sohar Port and Freezone.
According to officials of Omani integrated energy group OQ, who own a 20% stake in Marsa LNG (alongside French energy group TotalEnergies with 80%), the proposed Shinas site is located around 30 km from Sohar Port and Freezone.
Last month, the two partners also announced tentative plans to jointly develop a portfolio of renewable energy projects of up to 800 MW in the Sultanate Oman. OQ Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of OQ Group, is tipped to have a 51% stake in this new partnership, with the remaining 49% to be held by TotalEnergies. First off for development in this portfolio is the 300 MWp capacity solar farm at Shinas.
Asked how the Shinas Solar PV project would supply renewable energy to the LNG plant during periods of low sunlight or at night, an OQ official noted: “Battery storage is one option to address night-time renewable energy supply. In any event, the 300 MWp solar project will generate far more than what the LNG plant requires to operate 24x7. This will enable the LNG plant to secure its night-time energy needs directly from the grid.”
Marsa LNG is set to become the first LNG bunkering hub in the Middle East. When operational by Q1 2028, the 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity LNG project is set to be one of the lowest GHG emissions intensity LNG plants ever built worldwide, with a GHG intensity below 3 kg CO2e/boe (as opposed to the average emission intensity of LNG plants of around 35 kg CO2e/boe).
Importantly, the new 300 MW associated solar PV plant of Marsa LNG is set to bolster the presence of TotalEnergies in Oman’s renewable energy space. Last year, the French energy company, in partnership with Veolia, unveiled a 17-MWp solar PV farm in Sur to support the energy requirements of the latter’s Sharqiyah Desalination Plant. The facility generates over 32,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of green electricity per annum, which covers the plant’s entire daytime consumption.
More recently in March this year, TotalEnergies Renewables Distributed Generation Middle East & Africa (DG MEA), signed an agreement with Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), to develop a 4.6 MWp solar rooftop project that will cover the annual green energy needs of the complex.
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