Oman, Yemen seal Dhofar-Al Mahra power link

Oman and Yemen have signed two agreements to connect the electricity grids of Dhofar and Al Mahra, opening a cross-border supply route designed to improve power reliability in eastern Yemen.

The agreements, concluded in Salalah on Sunday, cover an interconnection between Oman’s Dhofar Governorate network and the grid serving Yemen’s Al Mahra Governorate. The project will initially supply Hawf and Shahn before extending service to Al Ghaydah, the provincial capital, according to official statements from both sides.

Hawf is expected to receive an estimated load of 3 megawatts and Shahn 5 megawatts through the electricity distribution network in the first phase. Supplies to Al Ghaydah are planned at loads of up to 50 megawatts, giving the project a potentially significant role in supporting electricity availability across the governorate.

The first agreement was signed for Oman by Ali Issa Shammas, chief executive of Nama Dhofar Services, and for Yemen by Othman Mohammed Owaid, director-general of the Public Electricity Corporation in Al Mahra. The second was signed by Ahmed Salim Al Abri, chief executive of Nama Power and Water Procurement, and Mohsen Ali Balhaf, director of the Yemen Petroleum Company in Al Mahra.

The signing was attended by Al Mahra Governor Mohammed Ali Yasser and Dhofar Governor Sayyid Marwan bin Turki Al Said, underscoring the regional importance attached to the project by authorities on both sides of the border.

Officials said the interconnection is intended to strengthen cooperation in the electricity sector while supporting more stable power supplies to communities in Al Mahra. Connecting the targeted areas to Dhofar’s network is also expected to reinforce electricity infrastructure and provide additional capacity for residential, service and commercial users.

Technical details reported in connection with the project indicate that the link will extend for about 37 kilometres and use a double-circuit transmission line rated at 11 kilovolts, with total capacity approaching 60 megawatts. Those specifications were not included in the main Oman News Agency announcement, which focused on the agreements, targeted locations and projected loads.

Al Mahra, which borders Oman, has been affected by the wider strain on Yemen’s public infrastructure after years of conflict. Electricity services in several parts of the country remain constrained by damaged networks, fuel shortages, limited generation capacity and weak public finances, making local supply arrangements and cross-border support important for areas that can access them.

The Dhofar-Al Mahra connection is geographically suited to such an arrangement because the two governorates share a frontier and have long-standing commercial and social links. The agreement provides for power to move from Oman’s grid into selected Yemeni districts rather than creating a nationwide interconnection between the two countries’ electricity systems.

Nama Dhofar Services is responsible for electricity distribution and related services in Dhofar, while Nama Power and Water Procurement oversees the procurement of electricity and water capacity for Oman’s regulated power sector. Their involvement places both network operations and supply procurement within the framework of the cross-border project.

On the Yemeni side, the Public Electricity Corporation in Al Mahra will be central to receiving and distributing imported electricity, while the Yemen Petroleum Company’s participation reflects the role of fuel and energy logistics in maintaining local power services.

Authorities have presented Hawf and Shahn as the first beneficiaries. Hawf lies near the Omani border, while Shahn is an important inland crossing area. Al Ghaydah, farther west, is the governorate’s administrative and commercial centre and would account for the largest share of the planned load once the later stage is implemented.