(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is installing thousands of solar panels in its car parks to provide power for its headquarters in Muscat.
The environmentally friendly move will save more than 3.1mn cubic metres of gas a year, enough to provide electricity for almost 1,000 homes. It will also cut carbon dioxide emissions by 6,662 tonnes annually, the equivalent of taking more than 1,400 cars off the road or planting almost 173,000 trees.
Once complete, the 5.92MWp (megawatt peak) solar project will generate 9,480,000KWh (electrical units) per year. The generated power will be connected to three of the main office buildings at PDO's Mina al Fahal complex.
PDO managing director Raoul Restucci said, 'At present, PDO is fully dependent on fuel gas to generate electrical power for its business needs. At the same time, the level of solar energy density in Oman is one among the highest in the world, so it made both financial and environmental sense to take the initiative to develop 'green power' in a phased manner. Sustainability is key to everything we do and we are committed to solutions which deliver more value, both for our immediate stakeholders and the whole of Oman.'
A total of 18,500 solar photo voltaic (PV) modules are currently being fitted to the canopies of 2,400 parking lots and the project is expected to be completed this November.
The renewable energy scheme is being executed as a joint venture by Spanish company Elecnor S A in partnership with Omani firm Rukun al Yaqeen (RAY) International.
Restucci signed the contract with Elecnor S A vice president Alberto Jordán Reig and RAY International managing director Tameem Bin Saif al Mahrouqi at an official ceremony at PDO Knowledge World Centre.
PDO Infrastructure Power Systems Department management Mohammed Aghbari said, 'This scheme is a hassle-free, fully automatic operation with negligible operating costs. At the same time, it reduces our dependency on the metered grid supply of electricity.'
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