Chinese developer Shanghai Electric has finished building the 500 MW Oman Manah I solar project, located in the Ad Dakhiliyah governorate towards the north of the country.
In a statement the company announced the project, its first in Oman, has now completed one month of operations after passing all assessments and final handover.
Shanghai Electric was responsible for the design, planning, procurement and construction of the site and will continue to serve as the operation and maintenance provider.
It partnered with France’s EDF under a dual-track agreement to ensure technical requirements set out by the state of Oman were met. The company says this involved Chinese engineers focusing on solar field design while a local team managed substation construction and aligning international standards with local regulations. Shanghai Electric says this approach “resolved conflicts between international standards and local regulations.”
The Manah I solar project is jointly-owned by EDF and Korea Western Power Co. Ltd, each holding a 50% stake. The two companies finalized financing for the project in January 2024. A 20-year power purchase agreement with state-owned Nama Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) is in place.
In March 2023, Jinko Power was awarded the contract to develop the Manah II solar project.
Oman had deployed 672 MW of solar by the end of 2024, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
In 2024, a report from SolarPower Europe said Oman needs to install a minimum of 13 GW of solar by 2030 to meet its net-zero targets. The country has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with the Omani government’s seven-year statement 2023-29 publishing interim renewable energy development goals of an 11% renewables share in the electricity mix by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
