The gas-fired plants – Barka 3 and Sohar 2 – will have a combined power generation capacity of about 1,500MW and are expected to be fully commissioned by 2013.
Omani state-owned utility Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) will purchase entire electricity generated by the two power plants over the next 15 years.
It was reported that GDF Suez will own 46% of the power plants, alongside Japanese investors and the Oman state pension fund.
A tender board official was quoted by Reuters as saying that GDF Suez has signed a 15-year contract with the government in a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) model.
Oman is now experiencing an increase in electricity demand due to its expanding economy. The government is looking for private companies to build power plants in a BOOT system.
