Oman launches new framework for renewables uptake: Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals is introducing a new national policy to regulate renewable power self-generation in a bid to increase renewable energy adoption and regulate the independent electricity generation market, according to a Ministry statement from Sunday. The framework — the Renewable Energy Policy for Self-Generation and Direct Sale — also aims to attract private investment and increase the grid’s reliability.

There breakdown: The framework is broken down into three policy streams — self-generation, direct sale, and electricity transmission. The self-generation policy will regulate licensing for self-generated renewable electricity production, whether by households or businesses, with larger projects required to apply for licensing at the Authority for Public Services Regulation (APSR), while smaller-scale projects will be license-exempt. The policy would also allow APSR to set an annual production quota for self-generation.

There’s more: The direct sale policy allows producers to sell directly to consumers without going through the state utility while still being subject to APSR regulations, whereas the electricity transmission policy allows licensed transmission and distribution players to monitor the use of the national grid to sell electricity directly. These producers will still have to comply with production limits and consumers will cover transmission costs and tariffs set by APSR.

Oman has big electricity liberalization plans: Oman is rolling out a gradual transition to electricity market liberalization, launching back in 2022 its single-buyer Electricity Spot Market — which currently allows Oman’s Nama Power and Water Procurement Company to purchase energy through a daily short-term market from producers with no PPAs or expired ones. Around the same time, the APSR released a report (pdf) on transitioning to self-supply and direct access in the Omani power market and commissioned the OETC to design a system for self-generation.

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