MUSCAT: The company is shifting its focus from digitising the electricity network to extracting greater value from digital data, integrating smart meters with network monitoring, geographic information and advanced distribution management systems to improve fault detection, accelerate emergency response and reduce service interruptions.
Eng. Khalfan bin Nasser Al Bartamani, Chief Commercial Officer of Nama Electricity Distribution, said the company was expanding its use of big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to monitor network assets, support predictive maintenance and identify potential problems before they develop into major faults.
The investment programme will support infrastructure upgrades, network expansion and improved operational readiness as electricity demand grows, in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
According to the company, its electricity distribution network extends for more than 105,000 kilometres across the governorates it serves, covering Oman except Dhofar. The company serves approximately 1.4 million subscribers, with electricity reaching all populated areas within its service area.
Smart meters are central to the company’s transition towards a more integrated, data-driven electricity distribution system. Their deployment reached approximately 80 percent by the end of 2025, supporting improved consumption data accuracy, load management and network operations.
The company is working to integrate smart-meter infrastructure with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS).
The integration is intended to enable real-time network monitoring, faster fault location, more targeted maintenance and improved coordination between control centres and field teams.
Al Burtamani said the company viewed smart meters as more than a tool for recording electricity consumption, describing them as essential digital infrastructure for improving services and making better use of network data.
The company has also implemented an outage management system linking its contact centre with emergency response teams and drawing on real-time monitoring, operational information and GIS data to accelerate responses to service disruptions.
Nama Electricity Distribution completed the automatic load-transfer system between transformers in 2025, achieving 100 percent completion, according to the company.
The system is designed to restore electricity supply automatically when a transformer fails, improving network resilience and reducing the duration of interruptions.
The company is also integrating fault-location technology and remote-control units with its SCADA system to improve operational visibility, shorten outage periods and enhance customer satisfaction.
Network reliability indicators showed an average outage duration of approximately 177 minutes in 2025, while the average outage frequency was about two interruptions per subscriber.
The company said its digital transformation initiatives were being pursued alongside conventional network reinforcement and expansion projects to maintain service continuity and accommodate future demand.
Nama Electricity Distribution reported capital expenditure of approximately RO120 million up to the end of October 2025, including around RO61 million for 11-kilovolt network projects and RO19 million for 33-kilovolt projects.
The projects covered network expansion and reinforcement, the development of substations, new customer connections, automation and remote monitoring and control systems.
The planned investment of more than RO600 million for 2026–2029 will continue the company’s efforts to upgrade infrastructure, strengthen distribution networks and improve the capacity and efficiency of its operations.