Mining
From The Report: Oman 2018
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Oman boasts an extensive and largely untapped mineral resource base that includes large deposits of metallic minerals, such as copper and chromite, and industrial minerals, namely limestone and marble. The country is the first GCC producer and exporter of ferrochrome, and produces large quantities of non-metallic minerals, including limestone, gypsum and marble, that support construction and infrastructure development projects around the world. Mining activities and the contribution of the sector to the economy are set to increase over the coming years, buoyed by government efforts to attract investment in mineral exploration, production, value addition and export activities from both foreign and local operators.

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Overview

Increased capacity: Efforts to streamline permitting processes, and improve port infrastructure and logistics, bode well for the industry
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More than 100 delegates from 18 countries converged in Muscat in October 2017 for the country’s second annual international conference of mining investors and service providers. The growing interest in the conference is testament to both the great potential of the country’s mining and quarrying sectors, and of the priority accorded to the sector under the sultanate’s economic diversification programme. Oman boasts an extensive and largely untapped mineral resource base that includes…

Analysis

More ore less: An improved regulatory framework is supporting increased investment in both copper extraction and processing
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Following a period of mixed results for Oman’s mining and mineral processing sector, in which copper exports fell, the segment now appears set to rebound. According to the Central Bank of Oman, output of copper ore dropped to zero in 2016, after falling 42.9% in 2015 from 72,100 tonnes per annum to 41,200 per annum. Nevertheless, projects under way as of January 2018 appear likely to reverse this trend and contribute to a rise in Omani copper production. HISTORY: Copper mining in the sultanate…