Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has extended the bid submission date for the planned 100MW photovoltaic (PV) solar plant at Amin, located in the southern region of the sultanate.

Developers now have until 24 June, with the client having granted an extension from the initial deadline of 15 May.

The solar plant is planned to be PDO’s first independent power producer (IPP) project. PDO will be the sole off-taker for the project, and will buy all of the electricity produced by the solar farm.

The contract will involve the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the solar plant for the duration of the power purchase agreement (PPA), which will be for a period of 23 years.

State utility Oman Power & Water Company (OPWP) is also moving ahead with plans to develop solar energy on a large-scale as part of the sultanate’s plans to diversify its energy resources.

In February, OPWP received prequalification entries from 28 groups for a planned PV solar IPP at Ibri, which is about 300 kilometres inland from Muscat. The proposed plant with have a power generation capacity of 500 MW. In April, it revealed the 12 groups prequalified for the upcoming tender.

The proposed IPP will be the second utility-scale renewables project planned in Oman, with the UAE’s Masdar developing a 50MW wind farm in the southern part of the sultanate in partnership with the local Rural Areas Electricity Company (Raeco).