French energy firm TotalEnergies announced on 6 November the completion of a 17MW solar plant linked to the Sur desalination plant in Oman. Total announced plans for the plant back in 2022 alongside its partner Veolia, the French utility company operating the desalination plant (MEES, 29 July 2022). The plant includes 32,000 solar panels supplying 30,000MWh annually which accounts for a third of the desalination plant’s consumption.
Oman has worked in recent years to link renewable energies to its industrial and commercial sectors in a bid to reduce reliance on gas burning generators. Power and desalination consumed 7.6bcm of gas during 2022, roughly 19% of the country’s total gas consumption (MEES, 22 September). (CONTINUED - 210 WORDS)