By Ghanim al Amri -
MUSCAT — Work on the Mirbat Desalination Plant is nearing completion with the preparations for a near opening is currently on.
The project will provide the Dhofar Governorate with 15,000,000 gallons of water daily as well as 445 megawatts of electric power. Work on the 265,000 sqm project started two years ago by a consortium comprising LNT, Sarooj Co and Tujan Co at a total cost of $1 billion. As many as 3,000 workers, 350 of which are Omani nationals, participated in the implementation phase.
Said al Maamari, a resident of the Sahl Ashour area where the project is located, says this is a vital economic project and it will supply water and power to the industrial and commercial sectors and boost development in the governorate. Even the remote and mountainous areas will benefit from the project particularly after the Oman Gas Company has embarked on investments in the area which will help provide sufficient power to an area witnessing economic development and population increase.
Azad al Amri says the project will solve the power shortage problem suffered by the area as well as replacing the current electricity posts by the modern grid of ground cables which was placed in a record time last year. This revolution in the power and water projects is another achievement of the government under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.
Bakhit al Mashaikhi says the citizens of this wilayat value the efforts of the government that have led to implementation of such beneficial projects, especially the Mirbat Desalination Plant which is really a qualitative leap in the field of water and power services. This project comes at a time when the wilayat is seeing the implementation of a number of tourism and
commercial projects which will be 
supported by the new plant. Miaje Muthi from Tujan Company said: “the project comprises five gas-powered plants as well as two steam-powered plants for the purpose of desalination.
With a capacity of 25 million gallons of water and 445 megawatts of power, the main plants will supply power to projects in the wilayat.
Mohammed bin Tahir Burham, Director-General of the Directorate-General of Water at the Wilayat of Dhofar said the water desalination project is one of the strategic projects within the framework of future plans in the water sector.
It will provide huge amounts of potable water estimated at 15 million gallons daily. The project will put an end to siphoning off of ground water in Salalah, Taqah and Mirbat.
