New plans to expand Barka I in Oman
MUSCAT, August 3, 2015
Plans to build an extension to Barka I Independent Water & Power Project in Oman by 2020 are being considered, owing to the increasing rise in water demand, according to a report.
The Sultanate’s Power and Water Procurement Co (OPWP) said negotiations are ongoing for the extension, while revealing its seven-year outlook for power and desalinated water supply, said the Oman Daily Observer report.
The water demand in the northern region, which includes the Interconnected Zone and Sharqiyah Zone is projected to increase by six per cent per year, from 226 million cu m this year to 328 million cu m in 2021, it said.
In the Interconnected Zone, the peak water demand is projected to increase by as much as 540,000 cu m per day by 2021.
In Dhofar, the Directorate General of Water has estimated the water demand to grow at eight per cent and peak water demand to increase from 88,000 cu m this year to 143,000 cu m in 2021.
The OPWP has planned to begin procurement of a new IWP with capacity in the range of 80,000 to 100,000 cu m to be in service in 2019.
It is also in consultation with Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) to finalise plans for procurement of desalination capacity to serve Ad Duqm and Musandam.
