Oman to explore hydropower potential of Wadi Dayqah water reservoir

MUSCAT, MAY 21  - Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), the sole offtaker of electricity and water output, is studying the potential for generating electricity from the Wadi Dayqah Dam and Reservoir — a move, if deemed successful, will add hydroelectricity to the Sultanate’s expanding energy mix. The objective, according to officials, is to exploit the 75-metre height of the dam, which is the largest of its kind in the Sultanate and among the biggest in the Gulf region, to produce hydroelectricity for the first time in Oman. Hydropower, as it is also known, is a renewable energy resource derived from flowing or cascading water. Significantly, the hydropower initiative is being explored in conjunction with a ground-breaking plan by OPWP to harness the substantial water potential of the Wadi Dayqah reservoir. Last month, OPWP invited Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from qualified international developers for the development of an Independent Water Project (IWP) targeting these resources. OPWP CEO Yaqoob al Kiyumi (pictured) described the initiative as Oman’s maiden water treatment project centring on surface resources in contrast to the long-standing practice of developing seawater-based desalination plants. “OPWP is working in cooperation with the Public Authority for Water (PAW) in the development of a water treatment plant at Wadi Dayqah. The capacity could go up to even 120,000 m3/day depending, of course, on the water reserves in the dam,” Al Kiyumi said. “We will connecting the water treatment plant with the supply network managed by PAW. It will be a normal Independent Water Project (IWP) by the private sector.” Interested developers have been alerted about the “minor potential” for hydropower generation at the inlet of the water treatment plant. The CEO explained: “Considering that there is water and there is height, we would like to see the potential if it (hydroelectricity generation) is technically feasible. We would like to see the project as ‘green’ as possible, especially if we can deploy renewables, power storage, and utilising the water pressure.” The IWP centres on the development, financing, design, engineering, construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of a surface water treatment plant with a net production capacity of 125,000 m3 per day (27.5 MIGD — million imperial gallons per day). The project is scheduled for commercial launch by October 31, 2022, with around 72,000 m3 per day (9.2 MIGD) of capacity to be brought on stream by April 1, 2022.