The Persian Gulf sultanate’s repertoire now includes a technology not generally associated with oil pumping: solar power. One of the world’s largest solar plants will be constructed to coax Oman’s heavy oil out of the ground, according to Oman and its partners, Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A -0.29 % PLC and French energy company Total SA TOT 0.59 % . Called Miraah, which means “mirror” in Arabic, the 1,021 megawatt solar-thermal facility is slated to be completed in 2017 and located at the Amal West oil field in South Oman. The solar plant will be built by Petroleum Development Oman, a joint venture between the Omani government, Shell and Total, and GlassPoint Solar, a Fremont, Calif.-based solar manufacturer. The construction of a […]