OREANDA-NEWS. Sohar 2 and Barka 3, independent power producer (IPP) projects that Sojitz implemented in collaboration with the GDF Suez Group, which is the world’s largest independent utility company, the Suhail Bahwan Group, which is one of the largest conglomerates in Oman, Public Authority for Social Insurance of Oman, and Shikoku Electric Power Co., Ltd. (YONDEN), were completed and began commercial operations on April 3 and 4, respectively (local times). The projects, which are the largest IPP in Oman, are the first IPP projects in Oman with participation by Japanese companies.

Sohar 2 and Barka 3 are gas turbine combined cycle plants with capacity of 744 MW each. They are located in the Sohar region, 240 km northwest of Muscat, the capital, and the Barka region, 75 km northwest of Muscat. The electricity will be sold to the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company under 15-year Power Purchase Agreement.

Electricity demand in Oman is increasing rapidly in conjunction with economic growth. Total generation capacity in Oman was 4,500 MW, and with the addition of 1,488 MW from Sohar 2 and Barka 3, generation capacity will cover approx. 25% of the country's.

Sojitz has positioned IPP projects that can be expected to provide stable earnings over the long term as a priority segment and is expanding and reinforcing its business in this area. In Middle East, these projects follow the Riyadh PP11 project (with generation capacity of 1,729 MW; Sojitz has a 15% stake), which is currently in commercial operation. Sojitz will continue to participate actively in IPP projects with a focus on Gulf countries and Southeast Asia.