Oman to Expand Power Transmission Network

OETC to sign US$112 million worth contracts to upgrade power transmission network - By Conrad Prabhu - MUSCAT — Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) will sign here tomorrow a series of contracts of a total value of US$111 million, aimed at upgrading the country’s critical power transmission infrastructure. In all, nine contracts will be inked with leading local and overseas contractors covering not only the construction of new grid substations and the expansion of existing ones, but also projects designed to strengthen the company’s overall ability to meet the nation’s burgeoning energy demands.

Representing OETC at tomorrow’s signing will be Saif bin Abdullah al Sumri, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Ali bin Said al Haddabi, General Manager, among other officials. OETC owns, operates and manages the Main Interconnected System (MIS), a massive grid that covers much of the northern half of the Sultanate. State-owned OETC’s transmission system serves Muscat Governorate and the Batinah, Dhahirah, Interior and Sharqiyah regions.

Roughly half of the total contract value is earmarked for OETC’s ambitious ‘undergrounding’ project, entailing the replacement of key lengths of its overhead line (OHL) with buried cables. The ‘undergrounding’ scheme currently targets overhead transmission lines in urban areas of Muscat Governorate. By replacing overhead lines with buried cables, OETC is not only enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the capital city, but also contributing to a number of environmental and safety objectives linked to the operation of its power transmission system.

Phase One of OETC’s ‘undergrounding’ project, which was launched recently, is being undertaken in stages. In the first stage, 132KV overhead lines from Ghubrah to Bausher, as well as from Ghubrah to Madinat al Sultan Qaboos, are being replaced with buried cables. Work on this stage of the project, covering a total length of around 10 km, is already under way.

According to officials, the initiative will gain new momentum with the signing of a key contract tomorrow for the undergrounding of a 29km length of overhead line from Rusayl to Bausher. A Saudi firm has been awarded the contract to execute the project at a cost of US$65 million. The contract, representing Stage 3 of Phase One of the undergrounding project, covers a stretch that runs through some of the most heavily urbanised and built-up areas of the city.

In Stage 2 of the undergrounding project, which is yet to be tendered out, OETC will replace a 3 km stretch of overhead line from Al Wadi al Kabir to Al Falaj, as well as a 6 km length from Seeb to Mawaleh, with buried cables. Both stretches, traversing heavily built-up neighbourhoods, will present significant challenges to contractors. Another key contract due to be signed tomorrow is for the construction of a new grid station at Qurayat. Larsen & Toubro (Oman) will execute the project at a cost of US$27 million.- Oman Observer , AME Info