MUSCAT - Oman’s first sugar refinery, located at Sohar Port and Freezone, is being prepared for operational readiness, paving the way for the first-ever domestic production of commercial white sugar and reducing the Sultanate’s dependence on imports of this essential food ingredient.

German technology provider BMA is currently preparing the state-of-the-art facility for commissioning, marking the final step before full-scale production begins.

“Right now, a team of BMA engineers and technicians is on site to support the commissioning of the Oman Sugar Refinery. The project started in 2021, and we are now on the finish line,” the Brunswick-based engineering company said in a post. “It’s great to see this project nearing completion!” BMA further added.

The main investor in the Oman Sugar Refinery is Nasser bin Ali Al Hosni, an Omani entrepreneur who also operates sugar factories in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At full capacity, the Sohar plant is designed to produce 3,000 tonnes of refined white sugar per day—equivalent to 1 million tonnes per year—with a quality rating of 45 ICUMSA, signifying top-grade refined white sugar produced to international standards of purity and colour.

In preparation for the refinery’s launch, the company marked the arrival in August of the first shipment of raw sugar, estimated at around 90,000 tonnes, from Brazil.

BMA has been associated with the project since 2019, when it was commissioned to carry out the basic engineering and part of the detailed engineering.

In May 2021, the company signed a contract for the supply of equipment and supervision of assembly and commissioning of the refinery. Under this agreement, BMA provided key machinery including the juice purification station, batch pans, vertical vacuum pan, evaporator station, batch and continuous centrifugals, pumps, slurry mills, sugar drying and cooling systems, and the automation systems—both software and hardware.

“The project is targeted at low energy consumption, high sugar yield, efficient operation, and compliance with strict environmental regulations. The entire project, and especially the process engineering component, adheres to stringent quality standards fully met by BMA,” the company stated.

A standout feature of the refinery complex is its 46-metre-tall DomeSilo—a striking domed structure with a 38-metre diameter capable of storing 30,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar. Engineered by Dome Technology, a global specialist in large-scale bulk storage domes and integrated handling systems, the facility enables Oman Sugar Refinery to perform storage, bagging, and export operations within a single compact site, eliminating the need for multiple large warehouses.

Once refined, the sugar passes through a drier to remove residual moisture before being conveyed to a distributor that loads it into the dome. Reclaiming the sugar is efficient and dust-free—gravity channels it through multiple hoppers onto conveyor belts in the cellar below. From there, the sugar moves along a main conveyor to the packaging area, ready for shipment in containers or on flatbed trucks.

The dome offers several advantages for sugar storage, including excellent moisture protection, temperature control, aeration systems, explosion protection, and food-grade safety features. The structure ensures enhanced product integrity, allowing long-term storage with no contamination risk or alteration in sugar quality.

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