Oman- R&D to help reduce Miraah solar project costs by 46%, says PDO

Date

7/31/2016 12:55:14 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) said the cost of the Miraah project for generating solar steam has been reduced since the assignment of the project last year.

Compared with the experimental project, the total value of the project has been lowered by 46 per cent due to the adoption of a research & development programme for more innovative and cost-efficient systems.

Adel al Busaidi, acting director of Miraah and PDO representative on the project, said the project in the Amal Oilfield, south of PDO's concession area, is one of the largest solar power plants in the world and is a collaboration between PDO - the owner and operator of the oilfield - and GlassPoint Solar Co in the use of solar energy in the field of enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

In a statement to ONA, Busaidi said ground for the project was prepared in record time, three months ahead of schedule.

He explained that the project consists of 36 glasshouses to be built in three stages. Some key facilities of the first stage will be completed by the end of this year, and run in record time.

He said the first and secondstages of the project will produce a total of 2,000 metric tonnes of steam by mid-2018. Output will be launched over several stages, starting from the beginning of 2017. It is planned to produce a total of 6,000 metric tonnes of steam when the third phase goes online in 2022.

He pointed out that when the project is launched it will save 6.5tn British thermal units of natural gas annually after dispensing with the traditional ways to produce steam, which is equivalent to 46 shipment of liquefied gas annually.

Busaidi said one the main challenges faced in the implementation of the project is the existence of necessary local expertise for the design and implementation of the massive project, which covers an area of 3 sqkm (740 acres), equivalent to 360 football fields. But thanks to PDO policy, the Omani workforce gained enough experience and confidence in a record time to take the project forward, he added.

The project consists of 233km of water-bearing pipes to reflect the sun's rays by reflective mirrors that are designed to collect 90 per cent of the sunlight, enough to heat water up to 320C and convert it into superheated steam. Busaidi said the giant glasshouses housing all the mirrors and glass tubes will protect them from dust and wind and prolong the lifespan of the project that is estimated at 30 years.

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