AER acts to meet power demand in summer

Aggreko signs pact with OPWP to supply 115MW power for three months

By V L Srinivasan

Muscat, Feb 28: Securing additional power, to the extent of 120MW, installing capacitor banks and procuring additional transformers are among the slew of measures taken up by the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) to ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers this summer.

AER has constituted an executive task team (ETT) headed by its executive director John Cunneen and comprising senior managers of power utilities including the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW). The ETT has been holding regular monthly meetings, assigning work to power utilities and monitoring their progress.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Cunneen said that the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) was taskedwith contracting for sufficient temporary power generation and transmission. Distribution system operators were tasked with procuring additional transformers, installing capacitor banks and implementing load switching schemes to ensure systems do not get overloaded.

Accordingly, the OPWP, through the Tender Board, invited bids and has awarded a contract for around 120MW of capacity to meet demand in the northern region of the sultanate.

The Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) has procured additional transformers and the Muscat, Majan and Mazoon distribution companies are presently deploying scores of capacitor banks across their systems and finalising load shifting schemes.

OPWP is responsible for ensuring sufficient capacity is available to meet demand. “It is disappointing that we find ourselves in this position. In fact, AER had served OPWP a notice under Article 116 in December 2009 under which OPWP will be held fully accountable for supply interruptions in 2010 resulting from a shortfall of generating capacity,” Cunneen said.

Aggreko Plc, the world leader in providing temporary power and temperature control, issued a press release saying that the company has signed a contract with OPWP for supplying temporary power. It comprises the supply of 115MW power generation across five sites for a minimum three-month period to provide additional power generation during the summer months.

Aggreko has also signed a contract with the Panamanian state power generating utility. The two contracts, together worth an estimated US$75mn, will supply 215MW of temporary power in Oman and Panama.

“Yet again, our ability to deliver very large amounts of utility- grade power within weeks to customers has proved to be a compelling proposition for utilities who need to keep providing stable power supplies to their customers,” said Rupert Soames, chief executive of Aggreko. “These two contracts also underline the global reach of Aggreko," he said.