Manah I solar power plant in Oman

Manah I is a 500 MW greenfield photovoltaic (PV) power plant being built in the Ad Dakhiliyah region of Oman.

The independent power project (IPP) is being developed by Wadi Noor Solar Power, a special purpose vehicle established by EDF Renewables, a renewable energy producer based in France, and Korea Western Power Company, a South Korean energy supplier.

Work on the Manah I project began in September 2023 and is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.

The project will generate enough energy for 50,000 homes and offset 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

It will support the Ad Dakhiliyah region’s goal of becoming carbon neutral and is expected to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 35-39% by 2040.

Project location

The Manah I solar project site is located adjacent to the planned 588 MW Manah II project in the Ad Dakhiliyah region.

The area covers an area of ​​775.33 ha and is located 30 km south of the city of Manah and 130 km (linear) from the coast. Its height ranges from 340 m to 350 m above sea level.

Details of the Manah I solar power plant

The Manah I solar farm will consist of 1,043,911 photovoltaic modules, each with a power rating of 600 Wp to 605 Wp under standard test conditions.

It will feature bifacial N-type modules attached to single-axis 1P trackers using 1V brackets.

The modules will be connected in series to create photovoltaic strings, which will then direct electricity to series inverters.

Each photovoltaic string will consist of 31 to 32 modules and up to 19 photovoltaic strings per inverter, giving a total of 33,670 photovoltaic strings.

The solar farm will use 1,740 inverters, each with a rated power of 295 kVA.

Additionally, the project will include 60 integrated transformer stations (ITS), each with a capacity of 8.8 MVA in a 0.80/33 kV configuration.

Each ITS will connect 30 string inverters, providing a total input power of approximately 10.5 MWp per unit.

The project will create Arctech’s flagship 1P SkyLine II tracker, equipped with a multi-point drive mechanism and a patented triple D torque tube.

The tracker can withstand wind speeds of up to 22 meters per second. The heavy-duty torque tube allows posts to span up to 10m, which can reduce the number of posts by 20% and reduce construction costs.

Power transmission details

The DC power generated by the panels will be converted to AC power via string inverters connected to low/medium voltage transformers, which will then supply power to the internal 33 kV grid.

The photovoltaic installation will be responsible for increasing the voltage of the photovoltaic plant from 33 kV to 400 kV, thus enabling integration with the Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) network via a 400 kV transmission line.

A total of 20 pieces will be transported to the Manah OETC substation via two 400 kV underground cables.

The financial closing of the project took place in January 2024.

Financing for the project will be secured through equity and loan programs from local and international financial institutions, which include Export-Import Bank of Korea, European bank Societe Generale and Oman Bank Muscat.

Energy purchase agreement

In March 2023, a 20-year power purchase agreement was signed with Oman Water and Power Procurement Company, which will become effective upon commencement of commercial operations.

Committed contractors

Arctech, a manufacturer and supplier of equipment for photovoltaic projects, provided custom solutions, including a 1P SkyLine II tracker optimized for the project’s specific requirements and offering increased system adaptability and power generation efficiency.

Worley engineering firm has been selected as the owner engineer for the Manah I solar project.