Global Arab Network | Environmentally Friendly - Going Green in Oman

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Environmentally Friendly - Going Green in Oman

Global Arab Network - - Adam Turner

Wednesday, 20 May 2009 00:38

Oman is going green to meet part of its growing demand for energy, with the options of solar and wind energy being seen as highly suitable to supply the needs for the country's remote and rural regions. The Sultanate’s concern for protecting the ozone layer and its continuous support to environmental causes on the national, regional and global levels was clearly reflected in signing the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances.

The Sultanate has established a national ozone unit to implement its plans for disposing ozone depleting substances, allocate import proportions for all companies importing such substances according to the required reduction stipulations for the upcoming years, reduce the consumption of chlorofluorocarbons and halogens to 100 per cent by 2010 and promote the use of alternative substances in co-ordination with the concerned agencies by providing the necessary technical data, advertising and ongoing education carried out by the Omani Environment ministry.

The Sultanate’s National Environmental Strategy aims at protecting the natural ecosystems, safeguarding bio-diversity and ensuring a balance between development planning, the environment and the sustainable use of bio-resources.
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The Sultanate makes every effort to ensure a judicious balance between the needs of rapid economic development and the wisdom of protecting the environment for future generations. Strict regulations are in place to ensure that environmental factors are taken into consideration when starting up new projects and the country benefits from co-operation agreements with several major regional and international organisations.
Oman has invested heavily in conventional generation capacity to meet the strong increase in demand, driven by rising levels of industrialisation, a growing population, as well as the developing tourism industry and commercial sector.
It is also considering building a nuclear power station to boost output. However, there is now a push for a greener option to supply the sultanate's electricity requirements.

Oman was found to be extremely suitable for the development of mass solar energy production, with the report saying the country had some of the highest levels of solar density in the world. According to the report, solar energy has the potential to not only meet the sultanate's own power needs but also offers the opportunity to make Oman a net exporter of electricity.

While Oman's coastal regions are less suitable for large-scale photovoltaic energy projects, due to the lower density of solar density, areas closer to the sea in the south and the mountains north of Salalah have significant wind energy potential. Among the proposals put forward in the report is a wind farm capable of generating up to 750 MW.

A greater emphasis on renewable energy sources could have some high voltage spin offs for the Omani economy. Though there are a number of companies in Oman that supply equipment for solar energy units used in many homes for individual water heating purposes, much of the material used is imported. An expansion of the sector could promote companies to gear up for large-scale production of components as well as provide work for construction firms to build the infrastructure required for solar and wind farms.
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The environmental awareness in Oman on both the public and private level places the Sultanate at a pioneering position. The challenges are many but the results are promising.

Global Arab Network

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