12 major exploration-to-mining concession agreements in Oman signed

Muscat: The Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and Minerals Development Oman (MDO), an affiliate of Oman Investment Authority, signed 12 exploration-to-mining concession agreements.

The agreements were signed by Dr Mohammed Hamad Al Rumhi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, and Dr Badar Saud Al Kharusi, Chairman of Minerals Development Oman. A representative from Oman Investment Authority attended the signing ceremony.

This step comes as the ministry adopted a new strategy to develop the minerals sector through concession agreements including legal, technical, and financial terms to be signed between the ministry and investors as an investment management method to lead the mechanism of managing the utilised minerals identified in concession areas.

These agreements are a starting point for the exploration and evaluation of the current and new mineral resources. MDO plans will commence by launching an ambitious program of Airborne Geophysical Survey will be followed by geochemical studies, aiming at identifying the potential of several minerals in these areas. Moreover, these concessions will enable mining and exploitation of resources especially copper in the Wilayat of Yanqul and industrial minerals in Wilayat of Shaleem.

The total size of the concession areas included in the agreements is around 21,480 square kilometres/km2. They include a number of potential minerals, mainly strategic minerals (metallic) such as Copper, Gold, and Chromium. The agreements cover eight sites mostly located in North and South Al Batinah, Al Dhahirah, Al Buraimi, A'Dakhiliyah and North and South Al Sharqiyah. All are exploration-to-mining concession areas, one site located in the Wilayat of Yanqul with an area size of 20km2 is a copper concession area that reached an advanced exploration phase to be ready for mining.

The industrial minerals (non-metallic) included in the agreements are Dolomite, Silica, Gypsum, and limestone in the fourth other areas located in the governorate of Muscat and Dhofar, three of them concession areas that reached advance exploration phase to be ready for mining located in Shaleem with a total area size of 1,489km2 including ores like Dolomite, Limestone, and Gypsum.

Al Rumhi stated that the ministry is working towards the development and management of the minerals sector effectively and professionally which goes in line with the sector's aspirations as one of the economic diversification sectors.

The ministry has adopted a new methodology to develop this sector through establishing mining concession agreements of large areas similar to the practice in the oil and gas sector. Those areas will be offered to local and international companies specialized in exploration and minerals extraction as per an exploration and mining concession agreement. The agreements are linked with the creation of in-country value in mineral ores in the Sultanate of Oman, and the establishment of downstream mining and manufacturing industries, in addition to creating more job opportunities.

Dr Al Kharusi stated, "By signing these agreements, we mark a significant milestone for MDO’s future. MDO has promising aspirations to invest in exploration activities across Oman targeting several strategic commodities and we hope that the promising results of these exploration activities will be a solid cornerstone to attract strategic investors and ultimately promote the entire Omani mining sector, in collaboration with our esteemed partner Ministry of Energy and Minerals.