Integrated utility plant begins operations in Duqm

The Centralized Utilities Company (Marafiq), a joint venture – owned by OQ, a subsidiary of the Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and Gulf Energy Development Corporation of Thailand, announced the partial commissioning of the Integrated Power and Water Plant in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) to provide electricity and desalinated water for Duqm Refinery (OQ 8) and Oman Tank Terminal Company “OTTCO”.

This outstanding achievement comes in line with the Company’s efforts to develop the utility sector in Duqm under the Central Utilities Services Agreement with the Special Economic Zone at Duqm. Accordingly, Marafiq established the subsidiary company, Duqm Power Company, to develop Duqm Integrated Power and Water Project and a 132-kV-high voltage line project to transmit electricity from the Plant to Ras Markaz oil tanks project, located around 80 km away.

In this regard, Eng. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hashmi, Executive Director of Marafiq Company, pointed out, “The potential capacity of the Integrated Power and Water Plant is 326 megawatts of electricity and 36,000 cubic metres of water per day. The Plant includes a seawater intake facility with a supply capacity of 1.5 million cubic metre per day, in addition to a water outtake line with a capacity of up to 1 million cubic metre per day”.

“This project boosted the Company’s contribution to the local In-Country Value (ICV) with over $56 million invested in local products and services. Furthermore, nearly 60 training opportunities were provided for Omanis and 5 other training-for-employment opportunities were offered for Duqm’s community. Therefore, the number of overall job opportunities provided by the Company to Omanis reached 34 direct jobs with more than 360 other indirect jobs, marking Omanisation at 71%”, he clarified.

Eng. Abdullah al Hashmi stressed that the Integrated Power and Water Plant marks one of the significant investments for OQ Group and Oman Investment Authority (OIA) in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm. It comes among a number of other investments aimed at thriving the investment environment in the Zone. It is worth noting that the Plant completed this year major commissioning tests and started supplying electricity and water to Duqm Refinery (OQ8).