Salalah: The total revenues of the minerals sector in Oman increased by 11 percent during 2022 compared to 2021, according to the date of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.

The total sales value of mineral ores (metallic and non-metallic) amounted to about OMR98 million and the total production of mineral ores (metallic and non-metallic) amounted to about 63 million tonnes. Meanwhile, the volume of sales of building materials in the local market amounted to about 16 million tonnes, which is fully proportional to the local demand for building materials in 2022.

These figures were unveiled during the activities of the Energy and Minerals Forum, which began in Salalah on Sunday under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar.

Mohsen Hamad Al Hadrami, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in his speech pointed out that the forum mainly discusses the minerals sector in Oman and Dhofar Governorate in particular. It also introduces the participants to the hydrogen sector and the most important projects supervised by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and the energy sector’s preparations for the Khareef Season 2023, he added.

Al Hadrami added that the forum is part of an integrated system of activities that the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is implementing to develop the sector and attract investment, as it represents a platform through which we seek communication and discussion about the ministry’s basic sectors, with our partners from the public and private sectors, investors and the local community.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals stated that the Ministry has taken important steps towards accelerating the procedures for regulating the hydrogen sector, setting the legal frameworks and policies necessary for its growth, and allocating suitable sites for its production to enhance the attraction of investments.

He further said that given the wide uses of hydrogen, its use will contribute towards diversifying energy sources, reduce carbon emissions and promote economic growth, and help in achieving zero carbon neutrality, which will contribute to maintaining a balance between sustainable development and limiting the repercussions of climate change.

The forum included a presentation on mining in the Sultanate of Oman, which dealt with the historic and geographical dimension of minerals, the geology of the Sultanate of Oman, and the most important minerals in Oman.

Another presentation was given on investment in the mineral sector, which touched on the new mechanisms for investment in the sector, represented in the concession areas and public sites.

Meanwhile, OQ Group gave a presentation on the group’s preparations for the Khareef Season 2023.

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