06 August 2012
MUSCAT -- A well-equipped minerals laboratory for the mining industry has been established, said Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry. The lab is capable of "handling rock and mineral samples collected as a result of geological and exploration activities carried out in various parts of the country. The laboratory will be in a position to serve the public as well as private sector, as its equipment and appliances will be continuously updated to cope with the work load," he said in comments to the Observer.
In response to a question about new developments in the metallic minerals sector, the minister said with regard to copper, the Directorate-General of Minerals is currently following up work of companies which extract and process copper and prospect in various sites in the north of Oman. Favourable indicators were explored by finding copper in economic quantities. These explorations are under study to figure the stock amount and raw percentages.
As for chrome, the directorate has recently finished some studies including evaluation of 68 concession sites for exploitation of chrome and defining the technical standards of dunite rocks and potentiality of its utilisation in production of olefin. As for the industrial minerals, the directorate-general has finalised the prospecting studies of projects related to industrial minerals such as marble in north Oman Mountains and studying four promising sites of white cement raw material.
The directorate is also preparing the technical standards for studies related to limestone, manganese and laterite. Al Sunaidy said the National Mining Company has been granted mining permits for two projects namely Safwa Copper Mine and Mandoos Copper Mine. Mining in Safwa has started several months ago.
However, mine construction is under way in Mandoos and mining and production from the mine will start very soon. Al Zahra Mining Company has been awarded an exploration permit in Block No 6 and exploration operations have already started and significant results are being awaited.
On the question of GIS database, he said: "The geographic information systems (GIS) contributes directly and effectively in the collection and storage of mineral information and geological maps in various scales in the digital form, which facilitated the process of extracting geological information about the mineral locations in the Sultanate and the location of exploration and mining of companies working in the mining sector. "The GIS section contributes, facilitates and responds to requests from exploration companies.
The system is currently studying and sorting out applications for various minerals in terms of the presence of raw materials and the feasibility of their exploitation". He also said, Oman Chromite Company continues to mine chromite ore from their concession area from several mining sites located in the northern parts of the Batinah coastal mountains and the Buraimi area. After crushing the ore they market it in Asia especially in china and India.
Oman Mining Company is currently smelting, and refining the concentrate produced by National Mining Company in their facilities in Wadi Al Jizzi.
The company is also carrying out exploration activities for copper in the Yanqul Hayl as Safil, and Al Raki areas with the aim of finding additional copper ore in commercial quantities, the minister added.
MUSCAT -- A well-equipped minerals laboratory for the mining industry has been established, said Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry. The lab is capable of "handling rock and mineral samples collected as a result of geological and exploration activities carried out in various parts of the country. The laboratory will be in a position to serve the public as well as private sector, as its equipment and appliances will be continuously updated to cope with the work load," he said in comments to the Observer.
In response to a question about new developments in the metallic minerals sector, the minister said with regard to copper, the Directorate-General of Minerals is currently following up work of companies which extract and process copper and prospect in various sites in the north of Oman. Favourable indicators were explored by finding copper in economic quantities. These explorations are under study to figure the stock amount and raw percentages.
As for chrome, the directorate has recently finished some studies including evaluation of 68 concession sites for exploitation of chrome and defining the technical standards of dunite rocks and potentiality of its utilisation in production of olefin. As for the industrial minerals, the directorate-general has finalised the prospecting studies of projects related to industrial minerals such as marble in north Oman Mountains and studying four promising sites of white cement raw material.
The directorate is also preparing the technical standards for studies related to limestone, manganese and laterite. Al Sunaidy said the National Mining Company has been granted mining permits for two projects namely Safwa Copper Mine and Mandoos Copper Mine. Mining in Safwa has started several months ago.
However, mine construction is under way in Mandoos and mining and production from the mine will start very soon. Al Zahra Mining Company has been awarded an exploration permit in Block No 6 and exploration operations have already started and significant results are being awaited.
On the question of GIS database, he said: "The geographic information systems (GIS) contributes directly and effectively in the collection and storage of mineral information and geological maps in various scales in the digital form, which facilitated the process of extracting geological information about the mineral locations in the Sultanate and the location of exploration and mining of companies working in the mining sector. "The GIS section contributes, facilitates and responds to requests from exploration companies.
The system is currently studying and sorting out applications for various minerals in terms of the presence of raw materials and the feasibility of their exploitation". He also said, Oman Chromite Company continues to mine chromite ore from their concession area from several mining sites located in the northern parts of the Batinah coastal mountains and the Buraimi area. After crushing the ore they market it in Asia especially in china and India.
Oman Mining Company is currently smelting, and refining the concentrate produced by National Mining Company in their facilities in Wadi Al Jizzi.
The company is also carrying out exploration activities for copper in the Yanqul Hayl as Safil, and Al Raki areas with the aim of finding additional copper ore in commercial quantities, the minister added.
© Oman Daily Observer 2012
