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Manah 2 early completion is a rarity

3 January 2025

Commentary
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Energy & technology editor

The 500MW Manah 2 solar independent power project (IPP) was completed four months ahead of schedule, according to its main developer, Singapore-headquartered Sembcorp.

Although small compared with the 1.5GW or thereabouts projects in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, the project marks a key milestone for its owner – a joint venture that includes Hong Kong’s Jinko Power – as well as the offtaker, Nama Power & Water Procurement Company.

Granted, the Manah 2 contract was awarded in March 2023 when the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect on the global solar supply chain began easing. However, completing a project ahead of schedule is a rarity in the region, especially in Oman.

The project is crucial for Sembcorp, which won its last power and water generation contract in the GCC in 2009.  

Sembcorp owns a 40% stake in the 489MW Salalah independent water and power project (IWPP) in Oman, which was awarded in 2009, and a similar stake in the UAE’s 882MW Fujairah F1 IWPP, awarded in 2001.

Manah 2 was the developer’s first renewable energy project win in the Middle East region, and it will be keen to bid on and win similar projects going forward.

In a statement, the firm said the early completion of Manah 2 “reflects the efficiency of Sembcorp’s project execution capabilities, as well as its dedication to supporting global clean energy initiatives”.

The utility developer is one of 16 developers that the Saudi principal buyer has prequalified to bid for the four solar IPP contracts tendered under the sixth round of the kingdom’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP). It has also been prequalified to bid for Abu Dhabi’s first battery energy storage system project.

The opacity of the tendering proceedings for independent power and water projects in Oman, where tariffs are not public, however, precludes reaching a definitive conclusion on Sembcorp’s project appetite in a highly competitive market, where some international investors have elected to be more selective when bidding for new projects.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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