·         The initiative is part of the companies’ ongoing CSR program.

·         The new school is the fifth school in which the system is installed.

·         The ministry plans to install the solar power system in 25 schools over the next few years.

Muscat | The Ministry of Education signed an agreement with SMN Power Holding, Al Batinah Power Company, Al Suwadi Power Company and Al Kamil Power Company on Wednesday, the 13th of December to install an advanced Solar Power System at Hind Bint Usaid School

The Ministry was represented in the signing ceremony by His Excellency Mustafa Ali Abdullatif Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs in the presence of the Director General of the General Directorate for Projects and Maintenance, Eng. Saud bin Hareb Al Habsi, while the participating companies were represented by Eng. Jurgen De Vyt, CEO of SMN Power Holding, Eng. Yacoub bin Harbi Al Harthy, CEO of Al Batinah Power Company, Navneet Kasbekar, CEO of Al Suwadi Power Company and Eng. Abdullah Al Rawahi CEO of Al Kamil Power Company.

The new power system will provide up to 82 kWp of electricity through 252 solar panels to be installed on the roof top of the school with a capacity of 325 Watts per unit. As a result, the system will generate a significant portion of the energy consumed by the school in an environmentally friendly way.

Eng. Saud Al Habsi said, after signing the agreement, “We are pleased to complete this agreement, which adds a new school within the ministry’s plan to develop renewable energy systems at schools in cooperation with the private sector. The ministry’s plan aims to include about 25 schools in the next few years in different Wilayats of the Sultanate. I would like to thank all the companies that contributed in this pioneering initiative

From his side, Eng. Jurgen De Vyt said, “The initiative to install solar power systems at Hind Bint Usaid School in the Wilayat of Barka is part of SMN Power Holding’s larger vision to raise awareness of the importance of clean energy and its renewable resources among the next generation of Omanis.

Eng. Yaqoub Al Harthy added, “These types of projects are vital to promote the concept of sustainability and promote renewable sources of energy, which are considered a new field for us in Oman. Therefore, we have contributed to this promising initiative and we hope that the message reaches all the stakeholders that they need to enhance investments in this field and benefit from the companies with long experience in this sector.”

Navneet Kasbekar pointed out that, “This initiative is part of implementing the company’s vision for the future of energy sector in the Sultanate of Oman and the region as a whole. Thus, educating students today on the importance of renewable energy sources will be positively reflected in raising the awareness of this sector and starting a gradual transition in the largest number of Omani institutions towards clean energy.’’

Abdullah Al Rawahi added, “Our social responsibility practice at Al Kamil Power Company focuses on promoting clean energy, and to support the bodies that use it and pave the way for its wide spread implementation in the Sultanate of Oman. Therefore, the initiative of installing this system in schools, which is adopted by the Ministry of Education is focused in this framework and we are proud to have contributed in its success.”

A union of two companies, HTC and Solar Hornet, will install the new system in the school in the coming period to provide a clean and renewable energy supply.

Commenting on selecting the two companies to implement the project, Jurgen De Vyt noted, “HTC Company has a long experience in the field of solar energy systems. Thus, we ensure the highest standards of implementation and installation in this important project. Additionally, Solar Hornet is one of the emerging Omani companies in this field, so we wanted to provide them an opportunity to demonstrate their presence and professionalism in this project.”

-Ends-

© Press Release 2017