An RO160 million ($416 million) power and desalination plant, set up wholly by the private sector, has been formally opened in the wilayat of Barka, in Oman’s Batinah region.

AES Barka will provide 427 MW of power and 20 million gallons of water per day to the wilayats of the South Batinah as well as to the wilayats of Bid Bid and Samayil of the Interior region.
The US power giant AES Corporation owns 85 per cent of AES Barka while Multitech of the Suhail Bahwan Group owns the remaining 15 per cent.
Enel Power of Italy constructed the power generation portion of the plant while Hitachi-Zosen of Japan constructed the desalination plant.
AES Barka has entered into a 15-year power and water purchase agreement with the Ministry of Housing, Electricity and Water. The project was built on a build, own and operate scheme, validity 15 years. AES Barka has also entered into a 15-year gas supply agreement with the Ministry of Oil and Gas.
The government spent an additional RO26 million to establish a 220 kv line to transfer power from the Barka plant to areas in northern Oman.
“This is indeed a milestone for AES,” John Ruggirello, chief operating officer and executive vice president of AES Corporation, said. The Barka project is the first of its kind in AES history as well as the first AES project completed in the Gulf region, he added.