Oman Power and Water Procurement Company SAOC (OPWP) announced that a consortium led by Mitsui & Co., Ltd., ACWA Power, and Dhofar International Development and Investment Holding Co. SAOG (DIDIC) has been awarded the 3,219 MW Ibri Sohar-3 power generation project, which is the largest single tendered Independent Power Project in Oman in the official signing ceremony yesterday (May 15) at Muscat, a statement sent to Saudi Gazette said. The ceremony was held under the patronage of Sayyid Taimur Bin As'ad Al Said. The project includes two natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants of 1,509 MW and 1,710 MW each, located at Ibri and Sohar in Northern Oman. Mitsui is the lead investor and the managing member of the project, owning 50.1% of the project, with ACWA Power having a further 44.9% of the shares and DIDIC , 5%. Both plants will be owned and operated under a 15-year power purchase agreement with OPWP and will be connected to the Main Interconnected System ("MIS") in the Sultanate of Oman. Commenting on the award, Paddy Padmanathan, President and CEO of ACWA Power, said: "Demand for electric power in the Sultanate is increasing at a rapid pace so these projects are essential to provide reliable and efficient power to drive economic growth and development. This is our fifth project in the Sultanate of Oman, and in conjunction with our consortium partners we're committed to meeting the target commissioning dates set out in the agreements. These projects are of particular importance to us as they represent the largest single award in the region, second only to our existing Qurayyah IPP." Once commercially operational in early 2019 the plants will supply approximately 30% of electricity demand in the Sultanate of Oman. — SG
