November 2014: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released a Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA) for Oman. The report examines the state of renewable energy in the country, identifies barriers to renewables deployment and suggests a series of five actions that could help Oman overcome those barriers. The report takes into account the current economic situation, policies in place and the Government’s own goals and plans.

According to the report, titled ‘Renewables Readiness Assessment: Sultanate of Oman,’ rapid industrial development and population growth have led the country to examine ways to diversity away from oil and gas and to develop a national energy strategy. However, currently “renewable energy has no role in the country’s energy supply,” as stated in the report. Thus the first action recommended by the assessment is the creation of a policy and regulatory framework for all renewable energy applications.

The second action would set renewable energy targets and send clear policy signals to investors. In the background provided, it is noted that Oman has been moving to a more decentralized power sector, often using power purchase agreements (PPAs). The authors suggest using this experience to purchase electricity from renewable energy sources or even instituting a feed-in tariff (FiT) for small installations.

In considering the institutional and legal framework, IRENA finds Oman could benefit from a renewable energy law that would give decision powers to an authority to oversee the implementation of the policy and regulatory framework.

While it is clear that Oman has considerable wind and solar resources, a fourth recommended action would map the resources more accurately and maintain the information in a centralized database.

Lastly it is proposed a Renewable Energy Steering Committee be created as one of several options for increasing capacity-building. The committee would focus on energy research, educational institutions and training opportunities in order to build a workforce capable of supporting Oman’s energy transition. [IRENA Publication Webpage] [Publication: Renewables Readiness Assessment: Sultanate of Oman]