The potential of biomass for electricity generation in Oman

Oman, like other Arab gulf countries, depends on oil and gas to produce electricity. However, these resources are not guaranteed to last forever and constitute one of the energy security issues in the country. This article explores the potential of using biomass energy resources for electricity generation in Oman. Energy from biomass resources is counted as a type of renewable energy, which means the availability is not affected by the lack of source and the increasing price of fossil oil. The review of biomass energy shows that waste from different sources such as wood and woody plants and their wastes, agricultural crops and residues, municipal solid organic wastes, animal wastes, sewage, waste from organic industrial processing and food processing, and aquatic plants and algae can be used for electricity generation. The biomass from animal manure and wastewater are reported with its potential for electricity generation. The results show that a total of 2651.81 GWh per year electricity can be produced from animal manure and wastewater which corresponds to 10% of the total electricity consumption in Oman. Although there is potential to use biomass for a sustainable electricity generation, however several environmental, social and technological factors associated with biomass energy need to be considered before adopting such resources.