Dutch companies to help Oman towards renewable energy future

Muscat: Oman’s renewable energy future will benefit from Omanis working in collaboration with the Netherlands companies that are carrying out major energy, water treatment, and waste management projects in Oman.
Speaking at the Energy and Water Conference which took place at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, Laetitia Van Asch, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Oman, told Times of Oman, “The [Netherlands ] companies here make me very proud because they have technology that is proven to work and they have experience in the region, so they can showcase what is possible. We hope they use the network available at this exhibition to expand.”
“I have noticed in the past two years that I have been living and working here in Oman that the attitude towards more efficient use of water and energy and using renewables is improving. I have a very positive outlook on the outcomes here,” she added.
“It will not be easy: in the Netherlands we have discussions about paying for these solutions, but these discussions are needed.”
“It is up to the Omani side to see which solutions are practical for Oman. If Dutch technologies can help, then I think that’s a great combination.”
On 22 April, the ambassador presented the ‘Water-Energy-Food Nexus- Oman’ report, which “provides a snapshot of opportunities for Oman and the Netherlands to cooperate further in the fields of water, energy, and food,” according to a statement by the embassy.
This is important as, according to the ambassador, “Oman has set the target of increasing the share of renewable energy in meeting demand to 20% by 2030.”
The Dutch companies, some of which have already begun projects in Oman, hope to make use of local talent in their work.
Arjen van Nieuwenhuijzen, the CTO of renewable energy at Wittveen+ Bos, said that these projects also depend on Omani companies. “For our projects, we are the engineering consultants. We are always looking for local partners. We need civil construction companies and suppliers. We prefer to work with local companies, and we’d like to involve local companies as much as possible.”
Jan Drost, the Business Development Director at Colubris Cleantech, said, “We carry out industrial waste water treatment, so we focus on industry. Omani regulations require us to treat water to reach irrigation standards.”
“We think global, but we act local,” he added.
“We can take our worldwide knowledge and transfer that to the Omani situation. By doing that, we can incorporate a technology transfer so that Omanis can pick it up and further develop it.”
Robert- Jan Vos, Sustainable Engineer at Structon, said, “We are going to build the waste water treatment plant in Sohar. From there on, we are going to continue with solar projects, as slowly but surely the problems that are associated with the middle east are being tackled.” According to him, conditions in Oman are not new to the company. “As we speak, we are building a large solar project in Riyadh, KSA.”
The conference was organised under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Assistant Secretary General for Cabenit Affairs, in recognition of the Government’s vision to develop energy and water services throughout Oman.