Al Duqm well-positioned as hub for green manufacturing: Experts

MUSCAT: Experts at the recent Duqm Economic Forum outlined a compelling blueprint for how renewable energy, circular-economy principles and green finance are converging to shape Al Duqm’s transformation into one of the Middle East’s most promising hubs for green manufacturing and sustainable industry.
Speaking during a panel titled “The Green Blueprint — Manufacturing in the Net Zero Era”, senior industry leaders emphasised that Al Duqm’s competitive advantage begins with its distinctive renewable-energy potential. “Al Duqm sits on a vast reserve of renewable-energy resources”, said Essam bin Nasser al Sheibany, Vice President for Sustainability at Asyad Group.
“It can produce its own clean energy and it’s strategically positioned to connect to future green-hydrogen and renewable-energy value chains”.
Several large-scale green-hydrogen projects are already planned in and around Al Duqm, creating what Al Sheibany described as “a strong pipeline for renewable power and green molecules” that could power energy-intensive sectors such as green steel, hydrogen applications and low-carbon manufacturing. Asyad Group is among the companies preparing for the shift; its dry dock alone consumes up to 55 megawatts of power, a load expected to increase with expanding operations. Transitioning this facility to green energy will require integrating solar and wind power with battery storage to support round-the-clock activity.
Dr Mohab bin Ali bin Talib al Hinai, Vice President for Sustainability and Circular Economy at be’ah, said Duqm’s advantage will grow stronger as policy frameworks mature. “Once you have the right policies in place—and enforce them—sustainability stops being CSR. It becomes a core business model”, he noted, arguing that Al Duqm is uniquely placed to lead the region in circular-economy adoption.
For Wendy Werner, Country Manager of the World Bank Group in Oman, Al Duqm’s ecosystem-based approach — clustering industries, renewable resources and enabling technologies — sets it apart. “To be certified as net-zero, you must quantify and verify everything', she said.
“Al Duqm has the renewable base and now it is building the next layers: technologies, systems and integration. This ecosystem gives Al Duqm the ability to grow into a fully fledged green industrial hub”.
Al Sheibany added that decisive measures — such as an EV-only transport policy inside Al Duqm — could generate immediate emissions reductions of up to 20%, especially given that transport contributes nearly 90% of emissions from Asyad’s local operations. “It’s an easy solution that requires smart, long-term thinking”, he said.
Alex Van Breedam, CEO of Belgium-based TRI-Vizor, stressed that building a functioning circular economy requires coordinated governance. Successful green clusters, he said, operate on three layers: physical infrastructure; companies that share and optimise that infrastructure; and a strong governance structure that defines how stakeholders collaborate.
“The governance layer must involve public authorities, companies and academia — the triple helix”, he said. Examples from the Port of Antwerp–Bruges show that when industries co-locate and share infrastructure, collaboration emerges naturally.
As the panel shifted towards financing, Werner underlined Oman’s recent success in mobilising significant green capital. This month’s $1 billion Sovereign Green Sukuk, together with a $750 million green Sukuk issued by Oman Electricity Transmission Company, demonstrates strong appetite for financing sustainable infrastructure. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), she noted, invested nearly $360 million last year in Oman’s financial sector—entirely green.
Dr Mohab argued that green financing is also a credibility test. “If I can attract green financing instruments, it shows I’m not greenwashing”, he said, adding that ESG indicators increasingly feed into global credit ratings.