MUSCAT: Oman is trying to move its mining sector beyond geological promise and into real industrial output, with a new pipeline of copper, titanium and industrial minerals projects taking shape as Oman looks to build a stronger non-oil export base.
That shift is becoming more visible in Minerals Development Oman’s 2025 annual report, which shows progress not just in exploration, but in the harder part of the mining business: financing projects, building infrastructure and preparing minerals for processing and export.
The clearest example is the Mazoon Copper Project in Al Dhahirah, which MDO describes as the Sultanate of Oman’s largest integrated copper concentrate project. The company said the project reached 35 per cent completion in 2025 and secured $270 million in financing, covering around 60 per cent of the total project cost.
That matters because copper is not just another commodity. It sits at the centre of global demand linked to electrification, grid expansion and cleaner energy systems. For Oman, getting Mazoon right would mean more than bringing one mine into operation. It would signal that the country can develop mineral assets at scale and connect them to international demand.
MDO’s wider pipeline suggests that copper is only one part of the plan. In Suhar, the company said the Sohar Titanium Project reached 89 per cent overall completion, with construction works 84 per cent complete and the first and second furnaces successfully commissioned. The project is expected to produce titanium dioxide, a material used widely across industrial applications, and reflects a broader attempt to build value-added activity around mineral processing rather than exporting raw material alone.
In Dhofar, the Al Shuwimiyah Industrial Minerals Project points to an even larger export ambition. Built around major reserves of gypsum, limestone and dolomite, the project includes a specialised deep-sea port with handling capacity of 27 million tonnes a year and annual production capacity of 30 million tonnes. MDO said the project advanced in 2025 through a strategic partnership with JSW.
Taken together, these projects show a more serious attempt to turn mining into an industrial platform, not just a resource story. The model is broader: extract, process, move and export.
That fits with Oman Vision 2040 agenda, which has long called for deeper diversification, stronger local value chains and better use of the country’s natural advantages. In mining, that means the challenge is no longer simply proving there is mineral wealth underground. It is proving that the sector can deliver commercially viable projects on time, at scale and with enough downstream value to matter economically.
The report suggests Oman is moving in that direction. Whether it succeeds will depend less on ambition than on execution.
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