The Oman Power & Water Company (OPWP) has received prequalification entries from developers for its planned 500MW photovoltaic (PV) solar independent power project (IPP).

According to sources close to the programme, the client received prequalification entries from more than 20 firms on 22 February.

The 500MW project will be located at Ibri, about 300km inland from the capital city of Muscat.

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 developer is currently evaluating EPC proposals. Following the delays, the project is now due to be operational in 2020.