Oman Weighs 2nd Interconnect to Boost Power Trades with GCC

Oman’s electricity authorities are evaluating the benefits of implementing a new interconnect project that will link the main grid of the Sultanate of Oman with those of its GCC member states via the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA). When approved and eventually operationalized, the initiative will be the second such interconnect between Oman and the GCC bloc, the first having been established in 2012 at Mahadha where a 220 kV system links Oman with the GCCIA via the UAE (Abu Dhabi) power system.

This time around, Nama Power and Water Procurement Co (PWP) – the sole national buyer of electricity and potable water in the Sultanate of Oman – is weighing a direct 400 kV interconnect from Ibri to Silaa on the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia. “This project would provide direct access to all GCCIA Member States and would enhance the benefits in stability, generation planning, and trade opportunities relative to the existing 220 kV link via the UAE,” the PWP – part of Nama Group – stated in its newly published 7-Year Outlook Statement for the 2023 – 2029 timeframe.

Significantly, the proposed interconnect project has already been the subject of a detailed study by the GCCIA. It centers on the construction of a 500-km long 400 kV AC link. “The study’s outcomes indicated that the net transfer capacity to the Sultanate of Oman would increase from 400 MW to about 1,300 MW. Accordingly, it is expected that the two interconnects would contribute more to the planning reserve requirements,” said PWP in its report. Oman’s interconnection with the GCC power system has enabled firm support during emergencies, while also opening up opportunities for trades in electricity, and coordination in planning and operating reserves. The double circuit link at Mahadha supports reliable transfers of up to 400 MW with the potential to carry up to 800 MW in emergencies.

“The link has provided emergency reserves on a number of occasions, preventing power failures in the MIS (Main Interconnected System of Oman),” Oman’s PWP noted. Firm capacity exchanges between Oman and the GCC systems have taken place on multiple occasions, notably during 2016 and 2018. Oman’s PWP had also exported capacity to a GCCIA member state during the summer periods of 2020, 2021 and 2022. As for the current status of the new interconnect initiative, PWP noted that it is currently in the planning stages. “Following approval and a confirmed development timetable, the expanded interconnect capacity and the assessment of capacity benefit of reserve-sharing would be included in PWP’s 7-year resource planning,” the state-run offtaker added.