NAMA Group: Sustainability & Prosperity (ENGLISH)

Sustainability and Prosperity Nama Group's sustainability initiatives are promoting In-Country Value, environment preservation and economic development

Mission:

Leading and enabling the Group to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable electricity and water services to enhance value for Oman.

Vision:

Nama Group is a leading reference for utility services excellence in the region.

Values:

• Integrity • Professionalism • Respect

Nama Group was established as a result of restructuring the electricity and related water sector in 2004 and commenced its commercial operations on 1 May 2005.

Nama Group operations are spread across generation, procurement, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity and related water services in the Sultanate.

Tel: 00968 24559200 Website: www.nama.om e-mail: info@holding.nama.om

Foreword

Sustainability A key pillar

Editors team: Ghada Al Yousef Executive Manager - Group Communication and Sustainability Department Murshid Al Shidhani Media Production Supervisor Maryam Al Mamari Sustainability Supervisor Juma Al Balushi Sustainability Senior Analyst Zakiya Al Ghammari Change Management and Engagement Senior Analyst

A renewed vision that takes charge of the future. A nation unified under the principles of unity and inclusivity. A fast-tracked shift to sustainability. The Sultanate steps into a new era with Oman Vision 2040 at its helm and a stout framework to bring the nation in line with its sustainability goals and comply with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); all under the wise :‫اﻟﻤﻬﻤﺔ‬ leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik.‫ﻗﻴﺎدة اﻟﻤﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ وﺗﻤﻜﻴﻨﻬﺎ ﻟﺘﻘﻮم ﺑﺘﻮﻓﻴﺮ‬ ‫ﺧﺪﻣﺎت ﻛﻬﺮﺑﺎء وﻣﻴﺎه آﻣﻨﺔ وﻣﻮﺛﻮﻗﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬multilayered ‫وﻣﺴﺘﺪاﻣﺔ ﻟﺪﻋﻢ اﻟﺘﻨﻤﻴﺔ‬ Working on the frontlines to realise this vision is Nama.‫اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ‬ Group, with strategies to train the spotlight on three pillars of sustainability that we had identified from the onset: social, economic, and environmental – each pillar ‫اﻟﺮؤﻳﺔ‬ coming with its own set of values and virtues. ‫ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ ﻧﻤﺎء ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﻧﻤﻮذج راﺋﺪ ﻟﻺﺟﺎدة ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﺎل‬ We kickstarted this year with the inauguration of the 500MW Ibri 2 Independent .‫اﻟﺨﺪﻣﺎت ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﻨﻄﻘﺔ‬ Power Plant (IPP) – a milestone renewable energy project that was also the first of its kind to be linked to the national grid. This will complement the 30MW Dhofar Wind project and lay the foundation for the upcoming 1,000MW solar projects – Manah I and Manah II – other wind energy projects ‫ اﻟﻘﻴﻢ‬in Southern Oman, and the North-South interconnection Project (Rabt). ‫• اﻟﻨﺰاﻫﺔ‬ ‫• اﻻﺣﺘﺮاﻓﻴﺔ‬ This year, we also aim to build on the successes of our social programmes – ‫• اﻻﺣﺘﺮام‬ ‘Naqla, ‘Eidaad’, ‘Baiti Amen’, and ‘Wiyakum’ – with the former utilising our pool of talented and trained Omani resources to restore electricity across parts of the country affected by Cyclone Shaheen. These programmes, through its initiatives, render pictures of our contribution to In-Country Value (ICV).

I am delighted to say that Nama Group is a proud patron of Oman Sustainability Week, and through our presence at the summit – both physically and digitally (with our magazine) – we aim to create a platform of dialogue built on our core values of integrity, respect, and professionalism.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the team from Nama Group and United Media Services who worked towards digital publication. ًcompiling ‫ﻗﻄــﺎع‬ ‫ﻫﻴﻜﻠــﺔ‬ ‫إﻋــﺎدة‬ ‫ﻟﻤﺸــﺮوع‬ ‫وﻓﻘــﺎ‬ ‫ﻧﻤــﺎء‬this ‫ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋــﺔ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺳﺴــﺖ‬ Be sure to construe our mission and vision pertaining to sustainability.

‫ وﺑﺪأت ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺎﺗﻬﺎ اﻟﺘﺠﺎرﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ‬٢٠٠٤ ‫اﻟﻜﻬﺮﺑﺎء واﻟﻤﻴﺎه ذات اﻟﺼﻠﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻋﺎم‬

mmit. ‫ وﺗﻨــﺪرج ﺿﻤــﻦ‬.٢٠٠٥ ‫ ﻣﺎﻳــﻮ‬١ We hope you have an enlightening day at the Su ‫وﺷــﺮاء‬ ‫ﺗﻮﻟﻴــﺪ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺠﻤﻮﻋــﺔ ﺧﺪﻣــﺎت‬ ‫أﻋﻤــﺎل‬

.‫وﻧﻘﻞ وﺗﻮزﻳﻊ وﺗﺰوﻳﺪ اﻟﻜﻬﺮﺑﺎء واﻟﻤﻴﺎه اﻟﻤﺮﺗﺒﻄﺔ ﺑﻪ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﻨﺔ‬ Ghada Al Yousef Executive Manager Group Communication and Sustainability ٠٠٩٦٨ ٢٤٥٥٩٢٠٠ :‫اﻟﻬﺎﺗﻒ‬ www.nama.om :‫اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ اﻹﻟﻜﺘﺮوﻧﻲ‬ info@holding.nama.om :‫اﻟﺒﺮﻳﺪ اﻹﻟﻜﺘﺮوﻧﻲ‬

Towards a better tomorrow Eng. Omar Al Wahaibi, CEO, Nama Group gives an overview of the Group’s sustainability policy and initiatives Nama Group has collaborated with ‘Oman Sustainability Week.’ What were the reasons for collaborating with this event?

Eng. Omar: Nama Group has a sustainability policy, which deals with the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability. Participating in ‘Oman Sustainability Week’ is our way of supporting the government and community while drawing attention to sustainability issues in the country. It also gives us a chance to talk about Nama Group’s sustainability initiatives.

Promoting renewable energy is a national priority. In what ways is Nama Group promoting renewable energy projects in Oman?

Nama Group is a key enabler of renewable energy because the responsibility of implementing the government’s sustainability policy falls on one of our subsidiaries. For example, the mandate of achieving 30 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 as per Oman’s National Energy Strategy is being driven

by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company

(OPWP). Our distribution subsidiaries are key enablers for private citizens and businesses to install captive renewable energy as they provide them with the support that they need in installation and in connecting them with the system.

Creating a knowledge-based society to generate jobs is an important pillar for sustainable growth. How is Nama Group training and skilling the national workforce and promoting Omanisation?

Eng. Omar: The Nama Group has achieved a big milestone in terms of skilling, training and recruiting Omanis. Our Omanisation rate stands at 97 per cent. We are working with our contractor and supplier community to further Omanisation as in the Nama Group we are already at a very high level of Omanisation. We encourage this by using multiple measures. For instance, we use Omanisation as an indicator to give preference to suppliers. We are also creating framework agreements with suppliers to promote In Country Value (ICV), which is partly based on furthering Omanisation and recruiting Omanis. This is one way in which we support the induction of Omanis and include them in the Group’s value chain.

Why is sustainability important for the Nama Group and Oman?

Eng. Omar: Sustainability is important because if you are doing something you want its continuation. This requires investing and reinvesting on aspects like the environment.

Without a sustainable environment life which would not be worth living. Moreover, if we do not address these issues it will be bad for humanity and hence every responsible citizen has the onus of protecting the environment. As a responsible corporate we have to look after society and that includes the economic aspects as well.

Sustainability is also important because we want to be an organisation, which is responsible for its actions or sometimes inaction in dealing with issues. In 2022, we will start work on a decarbonisation roadmap for the Nama Group. The plan involves things like being more efficient in the consumption of resources, adding more renewables for producing electricity. We are going to look into how to use the water that we produce in the Group with treated effluents to provide more captive carbon capture opportunities for greening and growing trees. We hope to do these in collaboration with our Group companies, entities under Oman Investment Authority and other government organisations.

In 2021, we supported the Authority for Environment’s programme for planting 10 million trees by providing money and manpower assistance.

Is there a coordinated approach to promoting sustainability within the Nama Group?

Eng. Omar: Yes, we are working on a concerted effort.

Creating a roadmap is the first step towards coordination as it will chalks out the role for everybody within the Group in terms of what they are going to do. To enhance coordination a detailed work plan for every aspect will be worked out in consultation with Group companies.

How are you enhancing innovation and digitisation within the Nama Group?

Eng. Omar: The Nama Group has taken remarkable steps to further the digitisation of business and the relationship with its customers. On the customer side, we now have live customer portals and electronic billing. We have introduced smart meters, which help in doing, things remotely for large customers and now we are rolling it out for all our customers. The Group will continue this programme over the next few years. On the operational side, we use scalar systems to optimise - the operation of our networks and the dispatch of electricity.

This also helps us to become more efficient in terms of manpower and resource utilisation. These have been the focus areas in terms of digitisation on the operational side and in service of customers.

Are you sustainably implementing the digital assets of the company while ensuring that there are no human resource redundancies?

Eng. Omar: That is the idea as we enhance our digitalisation. For example, there were contractors who used to read meters and deliver bills. These people have become redundant, as we are moving towards smart meters. We are working on retraining them so that they can continue contributing in other areas or providing new services. Some of these services relate to the new kind of meters as these meters only provide information about the reliability and quality of power that is produced or delivered to the customer. This information has be worked upon and provided in a way that it usable for decision-making and this is an area where the people who have been affected can be absorbed.

A Bright Future With its sights firmly set on the National Energy Strategy and with sustainability at its helm, the Oman Power & Water Procurement is on a mission to fulfil the goals set under the National Energy Strategy.

Eng. Yaqoob Al Kiyumi, the CEO of the Company, outlines upcoming projects and how they are enabling a green economy

Oman’s National Energy Strategy aims to generate 30 per cent of the Sultanate’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030. How is Oman Power & Water Procurement Company promoting this shift towards a green economy?

Eng. Yaqoob: The Oman Power & Water Procurement Company (OPWP) plays a key role in the transition of energy towards renewables and in fulfilling the nation’s goals that have been underscored by the National Energy Strategy and Oman Vision 2040.

To achieve this, OPWP will work closely with all relevant stakeholders in exploring potential projects across regions in the Sultanate. This will further help us translate our partnership into capacity planning and developing a road map for these projects.

We will also capitalise on the experience we garner through partnerships with the private sector to further develop Independent Power Producer (IPP)s and Independent Water Project (IWP)s in the country. OPWP, at its core, believes in working closely with its stakeholders to market projects to potential developers and attract as many investors as it can.

We also procure ground data for our solar and wind projects – and that makes renewable projects in the country really

viable, as we offer real data as opposed to satellite data. This is why OPWP plays a key role in the shift towards a green economy; from gathering data, to promoting the potential of developers, coordinating with stakeholders, and devising the overall capacity plan and forecast for the country, we are involved at every stage.

How do you foresee Oman’s potential in the renewable energy space?

Eng. Yaqoob: The Sultanate is blessed in terms of renewable resources – be it in solar or wind. This allows the nation to stand as a unique location in the entire region. We are also quite excited about that as the potential to harvest renewables is significant.

This is also not just purely for electricity generation for the national grid but also for developing Green Hydrogen projects.

These sustainable projects will have renewables at its heart as well – and we are immensely pleased and excited to move forward with the nation’s vision and blessings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik.

Taking a case study of Ibri 2 IPP, we have learnt that investors are happy to invest in PV projects in Oman. As buyers of energy, these projects definitely make sense for us. The

Renewable Energy

Ibri Solar Project: A 500 MW IPP Solar power station launched its commercial operations in September 2021.

Ibri

Manah

Jaalan Bani Bu Ali

Manah Solar I & II IPPs: OPWP announced the launch of two solar IPPs (Manah Solar I & II IPPs). Each project will have a generation capacity of 500 MW. The expected commercial operation to be in Q4 2023 and Q2024 1, respectively.

Duqam

Dhofar Wind Farm: A 50 MW wind energy power station launched its commercial operations in November 2019. The project consists of 13 wind turbines.

Dhofar

OPWP Wind Resource Assessment Campaign (WRAC): • Phase 1: Started in February 2020 and ended in August 2021 which covered Duqm and Jalaan Bani Bu Ali. • Phase 2: Started in October 2021 and is expected to end in January 2023 which will cover Duqm and Sadah.

ground data to have viable knowledge. So far we’ve completed collecting ground data from two sites; namely, in Jalan Bani Bu Ali and Duqm. This collected data is being analysed at the moment and we expect to kick off the qualification process for these renewable projects by the end of this year.

Please share OPWP’s plans for the year 2022 and moving ahead?

tariffs coming out of these projects are quite economical and competes with traditional forms of energy such as gas.

Oman is evaluating seven projects in the field of wind energy. Can you give us an overview of wind energy in electricity generation in the Sultanate?

Eng. Yaqoob: Oman has shown exceptional potential in wind energy in the Southern regions. We are currently evaluating seven sites and projects across the nation, following the development of an atlas for wind resources by the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (now DIAM). We handpicked several locations from the atlas and embarked on a ground data campaign.

We’ve since touched base with developers and lenders – but found that it’s necessary to have one year of substantial

Eng. Yaqoob: This year is going to be quite groundbreaking for Oman. We will be reviving our Manah solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, which will consist of two developments with a total output of 1,000MW. We hope to award these projects before the end of this year.

We are also analysing the ground data for wind farms in Jalan Bani Bu Ali and Duqm to begin the tendering and qualification processes and will be kicking off another PV project in Adam.

OPWP will also be initiating a study on the economics of deploying Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects in the country next year.

Having said that, we also need to be aligned with other sustainable initiatives in the country pertaining to Green Hydrogen so that we can complement each other.

Blending efficiency and responsibility Saleh Al Rumhi, CEO, Oman Electricity Transmission Company talks about the Rabt project and environment conservation efforts being taken by the company What were the achievements of Oman Electricity Transmission Company in the past year?

Eng. Saleh: OETC being a part of Nama Group, resiliency is one of our great achievements. We are licensed to transmit electricity from generation to distribution. OETC has contributed to enhancing system reliability and availability by deriving major investments to meet demand growth and generation. The availability of the grid and network has gone up to 99.99 per cent.

Can you give us an overview of the ‘Rabt’ project and how it is beneficial to the consumers and the country?

Eng. Saleh: The main objective of the Rabt project is to enhance and optimise the renewable resources available in Oman. It is an interconnected project that connects the Northern and Southern parts of Oman. This project will open doors for future investments in the renewable energy sector, particularly in the central region of the Sultanate where solar and wind energy is abundantly available.

Rabt will support in eliminating the dependency on diesel from various crucial areas and will contribute to the cost reduction in the energy sector, minimising CO2 emissions and enhance system reliability and availability. We also plan to start multiple hydrogen projects in Al Wusta region, these projects will largely focus on energy production and consumption. Rabt

is considered to be the backbone of the future to link the Dhofar Transmission system that will help in reducing the required spinning reserve. This whole project brings us closer to achieving a sustainable economy along the lines of Oman Vision 2040.

Can you give us an overview of OETC’s sustainability related initiatives?

Eng. Saleh: OETC is an environmentally conscious company, we are responsible and accountable for managing our environment.

We ensure that we try to prevent and minimise pollution to the best of our capacity. We have a very well established and competent department for Quality, Health, Safety and Environment affairs (QSHE) with very efficient staff.

OETC as an organisation has the policy to fulfil the obligations towards environment protection. We have established HSE manuals, plans and competent experts to manage our operations in a sustainable manner. Before embarking on any of our projects, the company carries out an EIA (Pre-Environment Impact Assessment Survey). Based on this assessment and data, we modify and restructure our projects to avoid any hindrances to flora, fauna and the population.

We conduct regular audits and monitoring to verify legal compliances, reduction of the noise output to prevent pollution waste. All types of waste is meticulously segregated and safely disposed as per the guidelines issued by the Environment Authority.

As part of our CSR initiative, we provide environmental awareness to the younger population at schools and public places.

OETC is a part of Nama Group’s sustainability programmess and has taken part in all the events. The Wiyakum Program is one of the sustainability projects launched by the group in 2014. The project encourages the local youth and the group’s employees in volunteering and support various development initiatives and lead by example in their community. Another sustainability project by the Nama Group is the ‘Naqla’ program. It was launched in 2019 pertaining to the electricity sector with the aim to train 10th and 11th-grade students in special skills and practical experience that are in demand in the market. This enables students to link their theoretical and practical knowledge and increase their understanding when they are ready to be employed.

Future ready A look at how digitalization is enhancing Nama Group’s customer service offerings In 2021, Nama Group made great strides in implementing its strategy for digitisation and modernisation and deployment of the best technologies in the network and customer service operations. During the year 2021, Nama Group companies have expanded the use of smart meters to include a wider range of customer segments. This has led to nearly 66% growth in the number of smart meters from the 2020 base to reach more than 121,000 smart meters by the end of 2021. It has also increased the percentage of consumption measured using smart meters to cross the 50% of the total electricity consumption in 2021. In addition, during 2020 all the distribution companies continued deploying Prepaid meters for their customers and the number of prepaid meters increased by 40% from 2020 to reach 126,643 prepaid meters.

It is also worth noting that the distribution companies, were able to effectively recover from the effect that pandemic had on everyday life. Throughout 2021, the companies have maintained a high level of accuracy in meter reading and were able to effectively manage the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns in 2021 on the meter reading operations, where the actual meter readings percentage reached 93% in 2021 from the 87% achieved in 2020. In addition. despite the several operational and logistical challenges of the field operations in 2021, the companies were able to maintain a high degree of billing accuracy and a very low level of billing complaints.

Moreover, the companies were faster in resolving customer billing complaints, where 94% of all complaints were resolved in six days or less.

more than 88% of all bills were sent to the customer by email or by SMS, which represents a more than 18% increase from 2020.

In addition, the improvement of collection channels and electronic communication with customers combined with the prevailing movement restriction, lead customers to increase their utilization of e-payment channels. As a result, more than 63% of all collected payments from customers by the distribution companies happed via electronic channels like websites, mobile & payment machines, and banks.

The above achievements reflect the electricity sector’s continuous pursuit of excellence in customer service and operational efficiency while maintaining focus on building Omani Human resources capital and enhancing the in-country value.

Billing and payment The year 2021 witnessed higher reliance on the technologies of billing & payment activities, which has made it easier for customers to receive and pay their bills electronically. In 2021,

Customer Service Achievements in 2021: Meter reading efficiency percentage

E-bills delivery percentage

E-payments percentage

Percentage of inquiries resolved in less than 6 days

88%

87%

93%

59.44%

76.51%

88%

33.82%

60.71%

63%

99%

90%

94%

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020

2021

A planned approach Suhaila Al Farsi, Executive Manager Strategic Planning & Risk Management, Nama Group explains the steps taken to formulate a robust strategy for sustainable growth

Nama Group objectives are multi-dimensional and have to be broken down into individual subsidiaries and businesses.

One of the focus areas for the Group is service reliability and the objective of this focal point is the availability and reliability of smart, efficient and sustainable services. We provide services in electricity, water and wastewater, so cascading this objective into various businesses is crucial. Moreover, it should be transparent, the KPIs need to be smart and adaptable for each business module.

In order to create a perfect sustainable strategy, Nama Group follows these steps: 1.

Identifying key focus areas, which include HSE, service reliability, customer experience, financial sustainability, Diversification and growth.

2.

Turning vision into reality and using smart KPIs. The fiveyear business plan is closely reviewed annually and the identified KPIs are linked to our business objectives. The critical step is to implement a strategy and monitor the performance of our subsidiaries.

Q) How did Nama Group›s strategic planning start and what tools were used to ensure business continuity?

Q) How important is sustainability from a strategic planning point of view for the Nama Group?

Ms. Suhaila: Corporate Sustainability Strategy sets out business objectives that focus on investment and drive sustainable growth. For Nama Group to achieve this successfully, it is vital to define and implement a pragmatic strategy. In the context of sustainability, we are a regulated sector and consider all stakeholder and legislative requirements as a key factor in implementing a strategy.

Ms. Suhaila: To know about the commencement of strategic planning, we need to understand the evolution of the firm and its division into phases. The first phase was the restructuring of the electricity sector between 2002-2004. At that time Nama Holding was a registered joint-stock company. The second phase was between 2005-2008 when we were preparing for privatisation as per the government law to privatise all companies by 2010. As a result, nine subsidiaries were formed after the restructuring. Due to the economic condition then, the government delayed the process of privatisation. Therefore, the building of a governance phase for Nama Group started in 2009-2011, when we issued our group-operating model.

A phase of excellence started from 2012 up until now as we have built strategic leadership, created Nama as a brand and have defined the direction of the Group. This is when all the supervision and performance of the group were solidified. In 2021, the government decided to restructure the electricity and water sector under us.

Strategic planning is the backbone of our group and we are using GRC (Governance and Risk Compliance) to ensure a strong relationship with our subsidiaries and stakeholders.

Another tool, which we use, is Clear Performance Management and the use of a Balanced Scorecard.

Continuous stakeholder engagement is another important input that is translated into our strategic direction.

Q) What are the challenges that you faced in terms of managing crisis and were there lessons learnt from last year’s cyclone Cyclone Shaheen?

When it comes to crisis management, we faced a bigger challenge at the time of Cyclone Gonu in 2007 than Shaheen and the lessons learnt from Gonu stood us in good stead.

A number of initiatives and campaigns were launched to address the situation.

It was unfortunate that damages caused by the cyclone have made many homes inhabitable and, therefore, electricity was not reconnected for safety reasons.

Additionally, limited accommodation available to contractors that continued restoration work beyond cyclone period.

Other fundamental customer communication problems were owing to the difficulty in communicating outages due to the non-linkage of GIS with customer accounts. Information was released based on assumed number of customers at the feeder level. No water customers were impacted.

The main challenges in the water and wastewater sectors were driven by the power outages from the main pumping stations. The high turbidity caused by the sea conditions also impacted the desalination plants. Additionally, due to the prioritization of distribution of generators, the water and wastewater sector water pressure was impacted.

“Wiyakum Le Al Khair” Campaign was launched to help affected families from Shaheen Cyclone. The Group facilitated the voluntary work and divided the volunteers into two teams: •

Electrician team: a group of volunteers who were inspecting and repairing the electrical wiring in all affected homes.

•

NG staff team: another group of volunteers who steamed up with other official societies to providing the essential requirements for the affected families.

The restoration of electricity services for some areas took longer than anticipated due to: •

Nature of the terrain especially in mountain areas.

•

Aggressive wadis flowing in low residential areas in Suwaiq, Khaboura and Saham.

•

Large volunteering crowds disrupting transportation of restoration and emergency services.

•

Flooding of sub-stations required additional work before the restoration of services.

The Baiti Amin campaign was launched in October 2021 to raise customer awareness about electrical safety.

The campaign consisted of various activities, including competitions and awareness videos for different categories in the society. Baiti Amen key messages were distributed to remind the customers, contractors and employees of the precautionary procedures before, during and after the Shaheen Cyclone.

Vitality With sustainable goals and innovation imbibed in its core, the Oman Water & Wastewater Services Company is on a mission to improve water resilience in the Sultanate. Eng. Abdullah Al Naimi, the General Manager of Operations elucidates on company’s water and wastewater restructuring plan and how it will redefine by-gone hydro practices

Can you give us an overview of the Water & Wastewater Restructuring Project and its expected benefits?

Eng. Abdullah: With Oman Vision 2040 at its helm and sustainability at its heart, the groundbreaking Water & Wastewater Restructuring Project in the Sultanate will merge drinking water services and wastewater services across the nation. This is the first project of its kind in the entire GCC and is a concept that is utilised effectively in regions such as Europe and (parts of) Asia.

This will help us build a strong master plan as it focuses on creating a strong network of drinking water across the country as well as in treating water that has already been consumed. But our ambitions with the project are manyfold.

With this, we will aim to increase water resilience, which is not just the ability to bounce back from stressors, but also the ability to adapt systems to deal with future stress. To achieve this, we will work towards improving the quality of water in a sustainable manner; by not polluting the environment and treating wastewater for reuse.

We are also looking at increasing the efficiency of our water networks. The Sultanate currently spends on operating water systems across the country. A merger of Water and Wastewater services will lead to synergies and lead to a stronger sector. All of this should translate to increased customer satisfaction. A customer who applies for water

services will also receive access to wastewater services under one roof. This will offset costs, resulting in attractive pricing for customers.

How is the Oman Water & Wastewater Services Company ensuring clean water and sanitation in Oman?

Eng. Abdullah: A Water Safety Plan has taken effect in the Sultanate. This governs water from the point of source to the final stages of desalination, and finally, distribution. To ensure safety and cleanliness, we have a very robust programme for testing the water; this is done daily and around the clock for seven days a week. Along with the digital analysers, we also have teams that take random samples from areas to test and ensure the quality is always met.

On the wastewater front, the Sultanate has some standards that have been effected to oversee the safety of treated water.

We have been meeting and exceeding those standards. We also have odour control across all our stations where we eliminate bad odour in the treated wastewater to ensure the sanctity of the environment.

Is the Oman Water & Wastewater Services Company working on water conservation strategies and modern practices to recycle wastewater to ensure a sustainable future?

Eng. Abdullah: Water conservation is at the heart of our company’s vision and mission to ensure sustainability in the sector. We have ongoing campaigns that begin at the grass root levels in schools, universities, and public societies to educate the public on water conservation. We also employ social media to inform the public on how they too can partake in the conservation process.

Another programme we are proud of is the reuse of wastewater from mosques. Water that ends up as waste after ablutions won’t completely go to waste. We currently repurpose this water for irrigation.

Q) How will the National Water Sector Master Plan help achieve sustainability goals in Oman?

Eng. Abdullah: The National Water Sector Master Plan will help redefine the whole sector at large. The concerted goals can be condensed into three foci: one, water desalination plants; two, understand water demands across Oman; and three, expansion of water networks.

To achieve this sustainably, we will have to define a robust and sustainable water plan in which all desalination plants and pumping stations work together in tandem, along with our company’s network expansion targets, and even the customer requirements.

Suleiman Khamis Al Qasmi, Chief of Planning and Asset Management, Oman Water & Wastewater Services Company says, “Integrated Water Resource Management addresses the marketready technological innovations that can substantially contribute in making the water sector sustainable and which ones are particularly suited to be deployed in the region”

Renewed Vision

development to help incubate small-and medium-enterprises (SMEs) whose specialisation is in sustainability. As a part of that programme, we have already incubated four companies over the last two and three years from the ground up. They then partner with us on the planning and execution stages of our sustainability initiatives.

As Oman’s Vision 2040 envisions a sustainable future, Maryam Al Mamari, the Sustainability Supervisor at Nama Group, outlines the key pillars of the company’s multilayered and sectoral plan that is helping the nation realise its collective goal With sustainability taking the center stage, Nama Group is moving into a new era of growth and innovation. Can you brief us about the sustainability policy, initiatives, and numbers of beneficiaries?

Maryam: Sustainability is one of the mainstays that is paving the way for a resourceful future in Oman – and Nama Group has identified areas that must be specifically targeted to add In-Country Value (ICV) and fulfil the parameters set under the Oman Vision 2040 to the Sultanate. To attain this, we have acknowledged three key pillars for sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. Under each of these pillars are objectives related directly to the core values of Nama Group.

The economic pillar we have outlined aims to empower people – be it from the Nama Group or the society. Today, we can proudly say that our company has 100 per cent Omanisation in the top management and 97 per cent across the group.

We have also embarked on a novel journey of training and

Nama Group is also the proud conceiver of the ‘Naqla’ programme to support electrical engineers in the country.

To empower the national workforce in the electricity sector, we train a group of selected candidates to obtain electrical licenses; following which they can work in our electrical network. This group of highly-trained individuals also did a vital job during Cyclone Shaheen, where they restored electricity in areas affected directly by the cyclone.

Our second pillar – environment – aims to take sustainability to Oman and its ecosystem. The nation has a staunch vision to generate 30 per cent of its electricity need from renewables by 2030 – and Nama Group is at the forefront of executing this plan.

The Dhofar Wind Project and Ibri 2 IPP are just some examples of energy platforms that regard renewables for power generation.

Aside from that, Nama Group also monetarily partnered with the Environment Authority to plant 10mn trees across the Sultanate, as we look to reduce atmospherical harm that has impacted the ecosystem.

From a more grass-root level, we also encourage our staff and communities to engage in energy and water-saving practices. We have yearly campaigns that run across social media platforms and public events to explain how one can reduce their energy and water bills, and what alternatives one can use to aid the process. Through our last pillar – social – we embrace Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and encourage our staff to partake in volunteering activities. One of our premier programmes is the ‘Baiti Amen’ (translated as: ‘My Home Is Safe’), which be kicked off in 2015, in collaboration with the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA). This programme helps create awareness

of first aid practices among communities. We also have the ‘Wiyakum’ programme – which consists of two projects relating to communities in Oman and the group’s staff. From a community standpoint, we held competitions to support volunteering teams and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to build sustainable volunteering projects. With that, we proudly became the first company in the nation to graduate volunteers specialising in crisis management.

Furthering our efforts to reach out to the community, Nama Group analysed and understood the need to assist families at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. To realise that, we began the ‘For Lasting Prosperity’ initiative. Under the initiative, we would buy electricity bills from homes that were affected by the pandemic for three months; starting from March to May 2020. Alternatively, we also extended support by offering some homes to pay their bills in instalments, to which more than 3,000 families and SMEs were beneficiaries.

Lastly, the ‘Wiyakum’ programme also enlists staff in a competition, wherein they can participate in creating sustainable projects. Winners – of which there are three – will receive support to implement their project.

Nama Group has been following The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) over the years. How is the initiative contributing to sustainable development and growth within the Group?

Maryam: The Global Reporting Initiative is an international and independent standards organisation that helps big organisations such as ourselves to evaluate, understand, and communicate our impacts on matters such as climate change, impact on society, inclusiveness and much more.

We have been a part of this initiative and have been creating extensive reports since 2015. We consider the GRI to be major sustainability criteria for our internal organisations and across all departments at the company. To achieve our sustainability goals, we have undertaken several initiatives, including the development of a long-term ICV strategy and policy, a code of ethics and business conduct, non-discrimination and inclusiveness policy, HSE practices, and a move to sustainable resources in energy generation to meet with the National Energy Strategy and Oman Vision 2040.

Implementing best practices Eng. Yousuf Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Chief Distribution Officer – Acting, Muscat Electricity Distribution Company shares his thoughts on HSE practices You are heading the HSE committee of the Nama Group, what initiatives are being taken to strengthen HSE practices across the Group?

Eng. Yousuf: In the previous years, there was a major focus on safety, which resulted in a remarkable improvement on this metric over the last 15 years. In 2015, HSE became a pillar of Nama Group’s strategy. This led to a number of positive changes such as the adoption of international best practices like having ISO certifications. These certifications helped in implementing mandated procedures, policies and documents, which were in line with international best practices. The period from 2015-2018 saw most companies gaining an ISO certification.

The HSE Improvement Committee then put in place a dashboard to benchmark Group Company’s against each other in terms of the risks, incidents, near misses etc. We also established KPI’s in line with the internationally well-known Heinrich model.

In an effort to learn from mistakes we studied a majority of incidents, analysed them carefully and came up with Nama Group’s 10 life saving rules. These addressed areas like working on heights, operational safety, public and road safety and more.

On the environment side, we established an environmental impact scale and made it a part of the dashboard. Across the Group hazardous waste and greenhouse gases are now managed in an environment friendly way.

Overall, we have made substantial progress in HSE and are working on pushing the envelope further.

Employer of choice

Eng. Zulaikha Bait Ishaq, Acting Project Manager, Oman Power & Water Procurement Company shares her thoughts on the contribution of Omani Women to the electricity and water sector and growing opportunities for them in the industry

How are Omani women contributing to the growth of Oman’s electricity and power sector?

Eng. Zulaikha: Over the last few years we have seen an increasing contribution of Omani women to the sector.

This is a reflection of her ability to support the sector.

Obviously, women have not done it alone but alongside their Omani brothers. Moreover, their role has increased over the last few years as they have been taking on leadership roles. Overall, women are contributing to the growth and sustainability of the country.

What are the challenges & opportunities for women in Oman’s electricity sector?

Eng. Zulaikha: The fact that a growing number of women are taking on leadership positions across sectors shows that Omani women have successfully taken on the challenges that they face. One of the main obstacles for women has been striking a work-life balance as well as raising a family. Given the success of Omani women that we have witnessed shows that they have

negotiated this well. This will give the coming generation of women the confidence to pursue further opportunities in future. The success of Omani women contributes to society and the growth of the next generation in terms of education and inspiration. The growth of the electricity sector in Oman is creating a lot of opportunities for the Omani women and they are contributing as engineers, head of departments and I foresee them as having a very solid role in the future growth of the sector.

How has your experience been in working in the electricity sector?

Eng. Zulaikha: I have been working in the electricity sector for the last 8 years. I have a bachelor’s degree in electrical power.

During my graduation years I had a chance to visit a few water and electricity plants in the country and seeing their role in Oman’s growth inspired me to join the Nama Group. I joined OPWP after college and it has been a wonderful experience.

I have grown in my job over the years. Having started as a junior engineer, I handled multiple responsibilities over the years and I am now an Acting Project Manager.

Do you see more Omani women being inclined to join the power and electricity sector?

Eng. Zulaikha: Yes, with the increasing opportunities within the sector, more women are looking at joining the sector.

A growing number of Omani women are graduating as engineers and they are taking on a range of jobs in the electricity and water sector including field jobs such as operations.

Sustainable HR

Salama Al Hajri, Senior Manager Group Compensation & Benefits, Nama Group shares the multiple human resource development programmes being undertaken by the Group

How is Nama Group promoting sustainable HR? Ms. Salama: Nama Group pays great attention to develop and implement the highest standards of Human Resources within its subsidiary companies. This direction reflects the Group’s commitment to improve the capability and skills of its employees. This is important because Human Capital is key to sustain the development of society and the economy.

Nama Group offers a number of skilling & training opportunities for Omanis. Can you give us a brief on these growth opportunities?

Ms. Salama: Nama Group continued to implement programmes and initiatives for skilling & training its Omani employees and job seekers. These programmes included the following: Technical Platform: This was an in-house online training platform for customised training programmes to close the technical competency gap of technical employees in the electricity sector The Learning Management System (LMS): NICD launched ‘Rawafed,’ the Learning Management System (LMS), by end of 2019, as an online training system. The platform provides online training solutions to Nama Group’s staff to obtain various skills in different fields and competencies. There are more than 5,000 course for the staff can get trained which provides the benefits of 1)

Anytime, anywhere learning 24/7/365.

2)

Significant content library across technical, soft skill, IT and language.

3) Ability to identify learning opportunities for individuals and organizations (competency mapping).

The system supports employees of the Learning & Development departments within the Group.

Nama Group has embarked on a strategy to train 800 Omanis for jobs in the electricity sector. This was announced by the Authority for Public Services Regulation (APSR), the

of Omanis licensed to work with the Group and its contractors.

Based on the success of the project in 2018, a five-year plan was created to increase the percentage of licensed Omani electrical technicians from 9% to 20% by 2023, increase direct employment opportunities to 75%, and provide opportunities to establish SMEs related to the electricity sector to 15% of the total trainees clearing the electrical license tests. In 2019, 438 people from the electrical engineering major and equivalent backgrounds applied to enroll for the programme and 125 trainees were accepted, 120 trainees could complete the training program with 95 trainees obtaining their electrical licenses. The success rate for 2021 was 79.2%, which is a marginal decrease due to some individuals dropping out from the program in 2020

sector regulator, citing Article 22 of the Law on Regulating and Privatising the Electricity and Related Water Sector promulgated by Royal Decree 78/2004. Article 22 commits licensed companies and service providers to support Omanisation in the power sector. An Omanisation strategy drawn up by Nama Group and licensed electricity companies calls for subcontractors and service providers to gradually employ Omanis in positions held by expatriates. This programme aims to provide an opportunity to train and employ 800 young Omanis in various technical positions.

Nama Group, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, will select the candidates and train them through specialised programmes that include practical and theoretical training.

Eidad Project Eidad project is an educational programme, designed in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research & Innovation, which aims to narrow the gap between the industry and academia by facilitating partnerships and intellectual exchange. The project offers internship programmes of two academic semesters to engage the nominated students for a longer period of applied learning.

Significantly, the programme will contribute to raising the current Omanisation rate from 47 per cent to nearly 90 per cent upon its conclusion. This target is in line with the Authority’s strategy to raise the Omanisation rates in the electricity sector. This is in-turn a part of its strategy to implement Oman Vision 2040 for developing Omani skillsets in the electricity sector.

Naqla Project: This project was a result of the success of the pilot project launch in 2018. The pilot was designed after an analysis of the requisite tests to obtain an electrical services license, the percentage of candidates passing these tests and the number

This program provides an opportunity for university and college students to gain a year of valuable experience and knowledge. In 2021, Nama Group trained 40 students in different fields.

Nama Group :Omanisation : March 22 Company

Nationals

Expatriate

Total

Omanisation %

Expatriate %

Total

5378

128

5506

97.68%

2.32%

Creative financing Mazoon Electricity Company’s Sustainable Finance Framework will support the acquisition and financing of sustainable projects Mazoon Electricity Company is committed to supporting Oman Vision 2040 and is embracing sustainability as part of the three pillars of its corporate agenda: 1.

2.

3.

2.1

Mission: Lighting and enriching life through safe, reliable, and sustainable electricity Vision: To be leaders in providing electricity in Oman by 2022 Value: Safety, teamwork, professionalism, integrity, and respect

Sustainable Finance Framework The company has also developed a ‘Sustainable Finance Framework’ under which it can raise Sustainable Financing Instruments to support the acquisition, financing, or refinancing in whole or in part new, existing sustainable Use of Proceeds projects.

Eligible Green Categories 2.1.2 Sustainable Finance Framework GBP Category Renewable

SDGs

Eligibility Criteria Electricity distribution infrastructure to

Energy

connect renewable energy to the grid and

Energy

Investments to improve operational energy

Efficiency

renewable energy generation infrastructure,

efficiency of existing distribution infrastructure Investments to improve the energy efficiency Provision and installation of smart meters

Clean

Transportation

Green

Buildings

Infrastructure to support the electric vehicle ecosystem, for example connecting electric vehicle charging points to the network

real estate assets which have a minimum green

building certification of LEED Gold or IFC EDGE Certified

Mazoon has actively participated in several sustainability initiatives. As part of its COVID-19 response, Mazoon Electricity was part of Nama Group’s ‘For Lasting Prosperity’ campaign which aimed to help those particularly affected by the pandemic, namely those on social security and SMEs. The campaign is one of Nama Group’s social sustainability initiatives and has been launched in partnership with the

Government Sector (Ministry of Social Development, Riyada and Al Rafd Fund) and Dar Al Atta’a.

To carry out the campaign, Nama Group established a fund with an initial contribution of RO300,000 to cover electricity bill payments for those families and SMEs. All donations from Nama Group and other donors will benefit the targeted categories of individuals and SMEs by covering their electricity bill payments.

Supporting the disadvantaged Building out the renewable energy generation capacity in Oman is a key component of Oman Vision 2040 and Mazoon Electricity supports this initiative. The company has launched a net metering arrangement to allow individuals and companies to install solar power generation capacity and connect it to the grid via its distribution network. This will reduce the carbon emissions of those individuals and companies, while also assisting in wider grid decarbonisation since any excess generation capacity will be sold back to the grid.

Mazoon Electricity has also implemented initiatives to provide clean electric energy in public places by installing solar panels. As an example, the company set up solar panels for a mosque located in the Jebel area that is frequented by many worshipers passing by.

The National Transformation Program for Smart & Prepaid Meters envisages the rollout of 1.2 million smart meters across the country over the next five years and is considered a leading national digital transformation project. Mazoon Electricity is part of this initiative which is in line with the socio-economic objectives of Oman Vision 2040. These focus on keeping pace with global developments and employing technology in all fields including the effective and efficient delivery of electricity-related services in a manner that supports the development of smart, sustainable cities with advanced basic services.

Promoting local expertise

Standfirst: Saleh Al Salmani, SR MANAGER - GROUP FINANCE DEPARTMENT shares the initiatives being taken by the Nama Group to promote In Country Value and Omanisation In Country Value is a national priority and imperative for sustainable economic development. How is the Nama Group contributing to this goal?

Mr. Saleh: In Nama Group we are taking a number of steps to further In Country Value (ICV). I am responsible for looking after the Group’s procurement policies and make sure that they are in line with Oman Investment Authority’s (OIA) tendering and procurement process. We provide regular reports to OIA and the Board regarding the activities of the three Tender Committees. The Major Tender Committee, which looks after business above Rial Omani three million; the Main Tender Committee for business ranging between RO50,000 to Rial Omani three million and the Procurement Committee for business between RO10,000 to RO50,000.

OIA’s new procurement policy prioritises ICV and synergy. We are going to float a tender to improve synergy and ICV within the Nama Group. ICV has been identified as a new priority area within the Group since last year. In 2019, we worked with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) on the feasibility study around the sector.

In 2021, the Nama Group along with MOCIIP and PDO launched five ICV led opportunities to encourage the manufacturing of Oman based products. These include products such as automated meters, transfomers and switchgears (for more information on upcoming tenders refer to www.namagroup.com). A feasibility study of these opportunities is currently underway and our target is to announce these opportunities towards the latter half of 2022.

The Nama Group is working on maximising local procurement under the ICV framework. We have requested for a percentage for ICV, which will be taken into account during the evaluation and call of order for a tender.

You mentioned about promoting manufacturing of products in Oman. What measures are being taken towards this goal?

Mr. Saleh: We have instituted a system wherein the first preference in tenders will be given to local manufacturers. In addition, they will also be given some benefits through either a price preference or long-term agreements or contracts. These measures are a part of OIA’s new ICV policy. We have a framework agreement for cables and conductors, as they constitute a large part of the Group’s procurement. This too is a part of the strategic ICV to maximize local procurement. In line with the government and OIA’s direction, any business below Ro10,000 goes to Riyada card holders or SMEs.