Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
Muscat: The administration of the Special Economic Zone at Duqm has indicated that work is underway to develop 40 per cent of the comprehensive plan for the Special Economic Zone at Duqm through localisation and establishment of many strategic projects, namely the Port of Duqm, the dry dock, the fishing port, the Duqm Refinery, and other basic projects such as roads electricity, water, gas, clean energy projects and green hydrogen.
The Duqm Special Economic Zone is one of the largest special economic zones in the Middle East and North Africa. It was established in 2011 and extends over 2,000 square kilometres. Its features make it one of the main investment areas at the regional and global levels and the focus of attention of many international companies that find Duqm a unique location for their investments.
The region is distinguished by its ability to embrace various projects, whether in the industrial sector or other sectors such as tourism, trade, logistics services, and real estate development, and its ability to provide the spaces investors need to build their projects of all kinds.
Engineer Abdullah bin Salem Al-Hakamani, Director of the Technical Affairs Department in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, said: "The cumulative volume of government and private investment in the region has reached about 4.2 billion Omani riyals in infrastructure in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm and in other economic projects, indicating that there is an interest and demand for investing in the area designated for heavy industries that coincides with the operation of the Duqm Refinery Project, which forms a nucleus for other manufacturing industries by converting crude oil into downstream derivatives such as diesel, naphtha, gas, methane, and others."
The Director of the Technical Affairs Department in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm explained that the total length of the roads currently being implemented in the region is about 120 kilometres, in addition to about 150 kilometres that were implemented during the last period, which varied between main, secondary, and service roads.
He pointed out that the region has been connected to the national electricity grid that supplies the entire Sultanate of Oman with a capacity of 400 kV, accommodating all large projects, to constitute a fundamental incentive for investors wishing to invest in the region, especially large projects whose operation requires high electrical energy and a water station with a capacity of 36,000 cubic meters per day, in addition to a water station.
Other electricity production for the Duqm Refinery and the Ras Markaz tank project with a capacity of 326 megawatts, in addition to the presence of a gas station that accommodates 25 million cubic meters of gas, which was linked to the Saih Nahidah station via 220 km long pipelines, which in turn constituted another incentive to encourage investors in large projects that require gas operations, towards choosing the Duqm Special Economic Zone among the best investment destinations.
He stated that the region carried out many works related to expanding the green area, afforestation operations, and infrastructure for recreational projects, in addition to establishing a public park and a public park, explaining that the completion rate of afforestation projects in the first phase in the region reached about 100 per cent.
Engineer Abdullah bin Salem Al-Hakamani confirmed that the Special Economic Zone in Duqm was interested in implementing entertainment projects that contribute to attracting visitors and residents in the region, including a multi-use entertainment commercial project that will be established near the tourist area, in addition to the establishment of a Friday market in the village of Dhahr in the Wilayat of Duqm, explaining About OMR 5 million have been allocated for these projects.
He explained that the region had adopted a policy related to social responsibility, which was to allocate 10 per cent of the purchases of projects and businesses in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm to small and medium enterprises.
These projects will contribute to providing the basic services and facilities that the local community needs, stressing that these projects have contributed to providing many Job opportunities for the people of the Wilayat of Duqm and Al Wusta Governorate in general, in addition to implementing training and qualification programs for graduates from the Wilayat, in addition to various programs and initiatives that work to create a true partnership with the community and involve it in the development process taking place in the region.
Regarding health and educational services in the Special Economic Zone in Duqm, the Engineer, Director of the Department of Technical Affairs in the region stated that there are 3 private health centres, government schools, and a private school, indicating that the region seeks to attract investors to establish more universities, colleges, and institutes that serve the population and residents in the Governorate.
