Oman’s first clean coal project based at Duqm is waiting for governmental approval before going through the procurement process, an official of Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), part of Nama Group said, according to Oman Observer.

According the company, the procurement process depends on developing the proposed 1,200 megawatt (MW) plant that uses clean coal technologies at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Duqm.

“The procurement process is still going on and we are ready to issue our Request for Proposals (RfP) for the coal project…. But we are waiting for final government approval for the project,” Brian Wood, Planning and Economics Director at OPWP, said.

The production of around 3,000 MW of clean coal comes in line with the Sultanate’s 2030 vision to depend more on renewable resources and shift away from natural gas.

“This plant will meet the most current international standards for environmental quality and emissions control…. It is expected to reduce gas needs of the electricity sector by 4-5 million standard cubic metres/d, enabling the Ministry of Oil and Gas to supply new industrial projects,” OPWP disclosed in its 7-year Outlook Statement.