ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Cities
Sec. Sustainable Infrastructure
SWAC: Sea Water Airconditioning Potential for Sustainable Energy Saving Cooling Sultanate of Oman 2010-2025
1. Deep Sea Solutions Llc., Muscat, Oman
2. Muscat University, Muscat, Oman
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Abstract
Oman's electricity consumption continues to rise, particularly during the summer months when the demand for fans and air conditioning peaks. This dependence on fossil fuel–based power generation poses a significant sustainability challenge. Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) presents a promising alternative, utilizing naturally cold deep seawater to cool commercial and residential complexes. By reducing reliance on conventional cooling methods, SWAC can significantly lower energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. Despite its potential, the concept of SWAC remains underexplored in Oman, where further research could provide valuable insights into its feasibility and benefits. This research aims to assess the applicability of SWAC in Oman, the feasibility of implementing SWAC, probable sites, technical feasibility, and economic perspective of the SWAC system, as well as prove its sustainability. A comprehensive review was done to determine the accessibility of deep ocean water resources off the coast of Oman. The techno-economic evaluation of the Al Jissah-Yitti site in Muscat involved energy saving, capital cost, and financial profitability. This study also proves that if Shangri-La Hotel and Sustainable City implement the 15,000 TR SWAC system, the power consumption will only be 1MW, which is not as high as the conventional air conditioning option. The cost analysis shows a levelized cost of energy, LCOE of 0.019$/kWh, return on investment of 26.7%, and a payback period of 4.6 years. Similar positive results were shown in the proposed Datacenter in Quriyat/Qalhat with the possibility of Net-Zero & CAPEX equal to conventional Cooling but with 70% less OPEX clarifying the feasibility of SWAC. This research is the first to examine SWAC in Oman, further analyze its viability, and explore how it can support the country's aspiration towards a net-zero emission by 2050.
Summary
Keywords
Air Conditioning, Cost saving, Electricity, Oman, Renewable Energy, SWAC
Received
12 November 2025
Accepted
31 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Katz and Alzeedi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Michael Alan William Katz; Jamal Salim Alzeedi
Disclaimer
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