Marafiq, a joint venture firm set up by Takamul Investment Company of Oman and Sembcorp Utilities of Singapore, is in the process of developing a 300MW-capacity power project in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Duqm in Oman
Takamul Investment Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oman Oil Company.
A partnership of Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) is jointly developing the 230,000 bpd greenfield refinery at a cost of around US$7bn.
According to a report by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), the mega power project is designed to meet the energy requirements of an ongoing refinery and petrochemical complex at the SEZ.
?Duqm could also become a location for a large power station, able to access other major load centres until large-scale demand develops locally. Once Duqm develops as a major industrial and economic centre, it will require this link to provide for grid stability and security,? reported OPWP.
Duqm is presently served by a 66MW diesel-fired power plant owned and operated by the Rural Areas Electricity Company (Raeco), a part of Nama Group. The new project has a demand of producing 650MW in the first phase of the growth of the SEZ.
The OPWP reported that this figure is subject to a number of factors, including the current economic and investment scenarios.
OPWP and Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) are currently considering a proposal to arrange for water desalination, transmission and distribution of both electricity and water to the industrial and domestic area. They are weighing Marafiq to play a constructive role in these projects, as it is currently contracted to provide utility services to the Duqm Refinery and related industrial complex.
