Oman’s Majis Industrial Services to establish solar plant at Sohar Port

The deal is valued at 500,000 Omani riyals and is expected to boost the country's renewable energy output

The UAE, the second biggest Arab economy, and Oman have signed a pact to further strengthen bilateral trade ties. Getty

Oman’s Majis I­­­­­ndustrial Services on Tuesday contracted Muscat's Unicorn International to install a photovoltaic solar power plant at the company’s facilities in Sohar Port. The value of the deal is 500,000 Omani riyals (Dh4.8m).

Unicorn will install a 1.30 megawatt peak (MWp) PV plant, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2020. The project will save 681,000 cubic metres of gas per year and will result in a reduction of 1,462 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

"Our agreement with Unicorn supports both our environmental commitment and our dedication to Oman's growing SME segment. We will continue to work with local partners, where possible, to contribute to economic growth in the Sultanate," said Ahmed Al Mazrouy, chief executive of Majis Industrial Services.

Majis Industrial Services, which specialises in water services in the port city of Sohar, owns nine assets that process 700,000 cubic metres of seawater per hour, delivered in bulk to industrial customers on long-term contracts.

Oman is trying to boost its renewable energy sector. Last month, the Arabian Gulf’s first utility-scale wind farm, the 50MW scheme in the country’s southern Dhofar region, began generating power.

The wind farm, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, produced its first kilowatt-hour of electricity and was successfully connected to Oman’s electricity transmission grid.