Oman has prequalified 12 groups for the tender for a 500MW photovoltaic (PV) solar independent power project (IPP) at Ibri.

MEED reported in February that Oman Power & Water Procurement Company (OPWP) had received prequalification entries from 28 groups on 22 February for the planned solar IPP. The client has now released the shortlist of 12 companies which will be invited to participate in the bidding process.

The client is aiming to issue the request for proposals (RFP) to the prequalified groups in the next few weeks.

The 12 prequalified groups are:

• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia)
• BP Lightsource (UK)/ CHINT New Energy Development (China)
• EDF (France)/ Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco)
• Engie (France)
• GCL New Energy International (Hong Kong)/ Alfanar (Saudi Arabia)
• Marubeni Corporation (Japan)
• Masdar (UAE)/ Total Solar (France)
• Mitsui & Company (Japan)
• Hanwha Energy Corporation (South Korea)
• Sumitomo Corporation (Japan)
• X-Elio Energy (Spain)
• Zorlu Enerji (Turkey)/Abengoa (Spain)

MEED reported in early November that OPWP had appointed Germany’s Fichtner and the UK’s DLA Piper as the technical and legal advisers for the scheme. In October, MEED reported that OPWP had appointed US/India’s Synergy Consulting as financial adviser for the solar project.

The proposed IPP will be the second utility-scale renewables project planned in Oman, with the UAE’s Masdar announcing in 2014 it was planning to develop a 50MW wind farm in the southern part of the sultanate in partnership with the local Rural Areas Electricity Company (Raeco).

Due to a number of delays in the design and procurement phase, the project is now due to be operational in 2020.

MEED recently reported that OPWP was planning to develop a wind-powered IPP in the southern Dhofar region as part of the country's diversification efforts. The client has invited consultants to submit proposals by 3 June for the advisory services contract.