To meet the growing needs of the economic progress that Oman was registering, the government invited proposals for the simultaneous development of the Sultanate’s 8th and 9th Independent Power Plants, respectively at Barka and Sohar. Following a competitive bidding process run by OPWP in 2009-2010, the Founders were awarded the contract to build both these plants, which saw the incorporation of Al Suwadi Power Company for Barka 3 and Al Batinah Power Company for Sohar 2.

The Plants have been established under a Build, Own, Operate (BOO) scheme, which enables them to be operated beyond the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) term of 15 years, either by extending the PPA (if agreed to by Oman Power & Water Procurement Company (OPWP), or by selling the power into an electricity pool which may exist at that time.