Oman’s OPWP picks developer for Manah 1 solar plant: Oman’s Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) has tapped Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and French EDF Renewables to co-develop the 500 MW Manah 1 solar plant in Oman under a build-own-operate model, according to a company statement released last week.

The details: The solar plant will cost USD 458 mn, according to the statement, and construction will begin in 3Q 2023 with commercial operations commencing by March 2025. OPWP will purchase the electricity generated under a 20-year power purchase agreement, the statement notes.

Background: Manah 1 is one half of a larger project by OPWP to build a solar plant with a combined capacity of 1 GW. The combined cost of Manah 1 and Manah 2 will amount to over OMR 300 mn (c. USD 780 mn) and will be the largest in the sultanate. A JV made up of Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities and China’s Jinko Power were selected to develop the Manah 2 solar plant earlier this month.

South Korea has been on a renewables hunt in the region: Earlier this month, USD 1 bn was earmarked for financing green hydrogen and renewables projects in MENA by South Korea’s official export credit agency, the Export-Import Bank of Korea. Kepco signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in November worth some USD 6.5 bn to build a hydrogen and ammonia plant. KSA’s Saudi Exim also signed in December an MoU to export green hydrogen and ammonia to the Korea Trade Ins. Corporation (K-Sure). Saudi Aramco and Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped the world’s first commercial load containing 25k tons of blue ammonia to South Korea which arrived to Korean shores late in December.