Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, a global clean energy leader, has announced that along with consortium partners - Al Khadra Partners, Korea Midland Power Company (Komipo) and OQ Alternative Energy, it has reached financial close for the Ibri III Solar Independent Power Project, the first utility-scale solar and battery storage project in Oman.

Ibri III, which is being developed for Nama Power and Water Procurement (Nama), will contribute to the Oman Vision 2040 goal of diversifying energy resources, including the target of generating 30% of electricity from renewables by 2030. 

Combining a 500MW photovoltaic plant with a 100-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS), it will produce enough electricity to power around 33,000 homes, while avoiding approximately 505,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Announcing the key feat, Masdar said financing has been secured through leading global financial institutions Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking (Natixis CIB) and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), which will cover a substantial part of the total project costs of around $300 million. 

The power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Ibri III project was signed in September. The scope of the project includes design, construction, ownership, financing, operation, and maintenance of the plant and storage system, it stated.

CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said: "We thank our lenders and partners for enabling us to reach this significant milestone in the development of the Ibri III project, which highlights Masdar’s commitment to helping Oman achieve its energy transformation goals."

"We see great potential for battery energy storage to expand renewable energy deployment, and we look forward to leveraging our expertise in BESS and other advanced technologies to deliver clean, secure power for the sultanate," he added.-TradeArabia News Service