Mining.. a wealthy resource for Oman
The mining sector in Oman has passed through a number of structural changes until it took its final form of structure after the latest government structural changes, as per the provision of the Royal Decree Number 75/2020. The Decree states to emerge the Mining sector with gas, oil, and renewable energy sectors in its current form “Ministry of Energy and Minerals” after it used to be an independent authority known as “Public Authority for Mining” that was established as per the Royal Decree Number 49/2014.
The mining sector is concerned in regulating, developing, and promoting the mining processes, achieving the utmost utilization of minerals wealth and investing it in which it serves the development and economic diversification in the Sultanate. The sector provides all the data related to the different mineral ores existing in the Sultanate for investment that is considered to be one of the important sectors to support the national economy.
The Sultanate of Oman is rich with a number of mineral ores, metallic such as copper, chromium, iron, and Manganese, and non-metallic such as marble, limestone, gypsum, clay, silica, dolomite, sandstone, Kaolin, and other different crusher’s products.
One of the main goals to develop and regulate the sector is to complete and develop the geological, geophysical, and geochemical maps in the Sultanate, continue the exploration works for all types of minerals, and find it uses in the industry field.
In addition to maximize the benefit of the available resources in the Sultanate to diversify the sources of the national income and expand the production base, and work to provide big confirmed reserves of minerals through continuous geological and mining surveys that will lead to the utmost utilization of the mineral wealth. In addition to conducting pre-feasibility studies related to mining sector. It also aims to increase the mining sector contribution to the Sultanate GDP, attract and promote the investment in the mining sector, and encourage the establishment of industries that depend on the available minerals such as glass industry, production of copper alloys and other mineral industries. The Ministry also works in increasing the added value of the products before its exportation through issuing the governing regulations and encourage investors to engage in the industrial operations that depends on the local mineral ores.
Mining, utmost investment
The mining sector represents a strategic sector in terms of growth and economy in what it achieves direct and indirect results through the achieved financial revenue, meeting the industrial requirements and developing the urban infrastructure to the national projects and citizens different projects. In addition to the existence of excellent reserves of metallic and non-metallic mineral ores and different crushers projects beside the increasing interest of the world to the sector and what it provide from investment value and job opportunities and it development for societies and other many positive rewards. This can be regulated through the mineral wealth Law, and the regulative environment in Ministry of Energy and Minerals in which achieves the utmost utilization and serves the public interest to ensure the continuous of ascending performance in this viral sector.
Added value
The Ministry seeks to increase the added value through implementing the policies and strategies set to create a real added value to the mining sector in the national economy. One of these policies is to complete the geological and mining structure through developing the geological, geophysical, and geochemical maps in the Sultanate, continue the exploration processes for all types of minerals, find out their different uses for mining purposes, boost the national industries, and encourage the private sector to use the mineral ores available in the Sultanate in establishing manufacturing industries. In addition to cooperate and coordinate with the relevant entities to provide the basic infrastructure to initiate the march of manufacture and export of minerals such as energy, roads, ports, and communication. Also communicate with relevant government entities in order to reach solutions to utilize all the promising mining sites. Such approach will have a positive impact upon all the sectors in the Sultanate resulting in economic revenue, localizing knowledge and technology and increasing the Sultanate trade balance beside minimizing the consumption of roads in transporting the materials as ores.
Exportation
The development accompanying mining sector in the Sultanate and the important indicators that predict for a promising future for the mining sector especially after the issuance of Mineral Wealth Law. Apart from the projects that are led by the Ministry to attract big investment in the Sultanate. As the Sultanate resources of mineral ores are of distinguished specifications made the exportation a primary option in marketing the products either as mineral raw or after it passes the different levels of manufacturing. The Sultanate comes the first globally in exporting the gypsum due to the material high purity and large reserves. Also the facilitation provided by Bayan system and Royal Oman Police in the borders and the ports has contributed in facilitating the exportation process as the ports are considered as one of the basic pillars in exporting minerals due to its characteristics comparing to the inland export.