The Oman Power & Water Company (OPWP) has revealed the 28 groups which submitted prequalification entries for its planned 500MW photovoltaic (PV) solar independent power project (IPP).

MEED recently reported that OPWP had received prequalification entries from more than 20 firms on 22 February, and the client has now released the list of developers hoping to make the shortlist for the upcoming tender.

The list of bidders seeking to prequalify for the tender is:

• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia)
• Masdar (UAE)/ Total Solar (France)
• AFT Group (Australia) /ET Technology (China)
• AFT Group (Australia)/ Metallurgical Corporation (China)
• Amarenco Solar (France)/ Mubbadrah
• BIET (Egypt)
• BP Lightsource (UK)/ CHINT New Energy Development (China)
• EDF (France)/Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco)
• Infiniti Overseas (local)
• Engie (France)
• GCL New Energy International (China)/Alfanar Company (Saudi Arabia)
• Hanwha Energy Corporation (South Korea)/ Hanwha Q Cells (South Korea)
• Hero Future Energies (India)
• Jinko Power (China)
• Marubeni Corporation (Japan)
• Mitsui (Japan)
• Nebras Power (Qatar)
• NTPC (India)
•  TBEA (China)/ Oman National Engineering & Investment Company
• Powerchina/ Mohammed al-Barwani Holding (local)
• SB Energy (Japan)
• Gruppo Industriale Maccaferri (Italy)/ Shannon Energy Corporation (Ireland)
• SNC-Lavalin (Canada)/ SkyPower Holdings (Canada)
• SOWIW Group)/ Kalmen Middle East (UK)/ Gulf Musanada (UAE)
• Sumitomo (Japan)
• United Al Maria (UAE)
• X-Elio Energy (Spain)
• Zorlu Enerji (Turkey)/Abengoa (Spain)

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 project is now due to be operational in 2020.