Oil giant Shell has switched on a 25MW solar plant in Oman as part of plans to shift its port and freezone in Sohar toward environmentally sustainable operations.

The Qabas PV array, located on a 50-hectare site on the edge of the Oman Gulf in the north of the sultanate, will be used to power a large ferrochrome manufacturing facility, displacing the equivalent gas-fired generation taken from the grid and avoiding more than 25,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year.

“This is an incredible project and the first of its kind for Shell in the Middle East and in Oman, while being in line with our ambition to become a net-zero emission energy business by 2050 or sooner,” said Walid Hadi, Oman Shell’s country chairman.

“I thank the Omani government, particularly the Sohar Port and Freezone, for their collaboration and support on a project with potential for long-lasting economic value for the Sultanate.” Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) commented: “The facility is an important milestone and it aligns with the sultanate’s national economic ambition.

“It is the first step for Opaz’s plan for solar projects equating to 1GW in Sohar. This will help free up natural gas for other industrial use.”

Oman Shell said in a statement it had “future ambitions to facilitate solar energy development within the sultanate”.

Transition

'First step to 1GW' to green Oman industrial complex as Shell switches on solar array