Sunday 29 / December / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Energy and Minerals reaffirmed that work is underway for preparation of a new concession area for exploration in the mining sector as a step for tendering during the first quarter of the current year.
The new concession area targets chromite raw materials, copper, limestone and other raw materials, said Dr. Salah bin Hafidh Al Dhahab, Director General of Investment the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.
He added that the ministry is at the final stage of negotiations with specialised companies on a number of concession areas the majority of which focus on potassium chloride and exploration of lithium raw material.
He said that the Sultanate is characterised with the presence of copper, chromite, laterite, magnesium among other raw materials, including industrial raw materials such as gypsum, silica, limestone and Gabbro stone among others.
He also hoped the search and exploration works carried by Minerals Development Oman and new investors would see the success and qualitative shift in this sector with the focus on raw materials associated with clean energy as to reduce emissions harmful to environment.
He said that the Ministry of Energy and Minerals signed last year 12 agreements with Minerals Development Oman, wherein the company started with the exploration works, including geophysical aerial survey and the development of these areas through the company or with other investors from within and outside the Sultanate.
He said that the Ministry of Energy and Minerals currently focuses on exploration works in the mining sector in new open areas for conducting studies that are internationally recognised on the raw materials available in the Sultanate in a way that contributes to attraction of investors to this sector and to accelerate the pace of progress in existing mining projects such as Al Ghazin project and Shaleem project.
