Be’ah are drumming up funding for waste treatment plant expansion: Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (Be’ah) — which operates under the Oman Investment Authority (OIA) — is in talks to finance the construction of the second phase of its hazardous waste treatment project in Sohar, according to the OIA’s latest annual report (pdf). It did not provide details on the institutions with which Be’ah is currently negotiating or the size of financing needed.

About the Sohar project: The facility — which will be the biggest in the country — is set to be completed in 2025. The first phase of the project, which is currently operational, includes three landfills and an open and closed area for industrial waste. The in-development second phase will include a solidification plant and lab installations.

Barka gets a mention: The report also highlighted the signing of an MoU between Be’ah and the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company — now known as Nama Power and Water Procurement (PWP) — to set up the country’s first waste-to-energy project in Barka. The facility, which will have an estimated daily capacity of 4.5k tons of municipal waste, slashing the carbon footprint of landfills by 50 mn tons in 35 years, according to Be’ah. This would be equivalent to 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions currently emitted by landfill operations in the country. It will also help provide 130-150 MW from renewable sources.

And some electricity highlights: The report also highlighted an OMR 100 mn investment by Oman’s Nama Holding Group in the Ibri solar power plant — the country’s largest utility-scale solar PV IPP. The project, which was inaugurated in 2022, was developed by a consortium led by Saudi renewables giant Acwa Power. It has a production capacity of 500 MW and is expected to slash 340k tons of emissions annually. The report also said that tenders were awarded by Nama in 2022 for the development of the 1 GW solar IPP project in Manah. It also highlighted a recent restructuring of the electricity sector by the merger of supply services in a sole company and electricity distribution into a separate company.

IN OTHER OMAN RENEWABLES NEWS- The sultanate is courting RfQs for more renewables projects: Oman is issuing a request for qualification (RfQ) for five new wind energy projects, three solar PV projects, and a waste-to-energy (WtE) project before the end of the year, Oman Observer reported on Friday, citing PWP’s recently published seven-year statement for 2023-2029 (pdf). All the projects will be signed under an IPP agreement. If completed, Oman’s installed wind and solar energy capacities will increase by 4.3 GW by 2029, according to further reporting by Oman Observer.

More about the wind projects: One of the wind projects will be in Duqm and will have a capacity of 200 to 300 MW, the outlet reported. A RfP will be issued early next year, while the plant is planned for operation in 3Q 2026. A second wind project will be located in Jalaan Bani Bu Ali with a capacity of 100 MW, with operation starting in 3Q 2026. The third will be a 100 to 200 MW wind project in Dhofar. The fourth and fifth wind farms will be in Ras Madrakah and Sadah, with commissioning expected in 2027 and 2028. The former will have a capacity between 200 to 300 MW, while the latter will be sized at 100 MW.

More about the solar and WtE: The solar stations will be a 500 MW station in Ibri with commercial operation scheduled for 2026, a 500 MW solar plant in the Main Interconnected System (MIS) area scheduled for commission in 2027, and a third unknown plant that will be inaugurated in 2029, according to the news outlet. The WtE facility will be located in Barka and have an estimated capacity of 130 to 140 MW, with operations expected to launch in 2Q 2028.