GlassPoint to develop Miraah solar power project in Oman

State oil company Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has struck a deal with US based solar developer GlassPoint for the construction of 1,021MW Miraah solar thermal facility in South Oman.

The $600m facility will cover 750 acres of desert with glasshouses and will feature aluminum within it, to capture the solar rays and concentrate the energy to produce steam.

The steam will be used in thermal EOR to extract heavy and viscous oil at the Amal oilfield which presently uses natural gas.

The glasshouse is designed in a way that it encloses and protects the solar collectors from extreme weather conditions of the country.

According to GlassPoint, the project is likely to save 5.6 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) of natural gas each year in the country, which is equivalent to the gas used to provide electricity to electricity to 209,000 households in Oman.

Miraah project will generate 6,000 tons of solar steam daily for oil production, which is much more energy produced when compared to all the existing EOR installations.

PDO managing director Raoul Restucci said: "The use of solar for oil recovery is a long-term strategic solution to develop PDO’s viscous oil portfolio and reduce consumption of valuable natural gas, which is needed elsewhere to diversify Oman’s economy and create economic growth.

"It also will displace diesel and higher carbon intensive power generation and oil burning in future thermal projects.

"PDO has been a pioneering force in EOR for a number of years and it will play an increasingly important part in the Company’s portfolio, accounting for around a third of our production by 2023."

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Image: GlassPoint panels in Oman solar plant. Photo: courtesy of GlassPoint.