Oman has announced the official launch of a 17-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar farm facility, designed to power the Sharqiyah Desalination Plant in the Sur region of the sultanate. It is the largest of its kind for a desalination facility in the country. 

Developed in partnership with global multi-energy company TotalEnergies and French water management specialist Veolia, the solar farm boasts an annual capacity of over 32,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of green electricity.

Construction work on the facility began last year, with testing having taken place from March to April this year, followed by its commercial operation the same month.

The solar plant is a significant step toward decarbonisation efforts in the region, as it is expected to reduce 27,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions from roughly 6,000 internal combustion engine-powered vehicles over the same period, said Engineer Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, the Minister of Energy and Minerals in Oman.

Speaking after officially inaugurating the 17MWp solar photovoltaic farm, Al Aufi emphasised its role in supporting clean drinking water for over 600,000 residents in the Sharqiyah region.

He highlighted its alignment with global efforts toward energy transition for a net-zero world and its contribution to water security in Oman.

The project is in line with Oman’s National Energy Strategy, aiming to derive 30 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as part of Oman Vision 2040, he added.