MUSCAT, SEPT 7
The Sultanate of Oman is moving to enhance investment in the mining sector, with the focus gradually moving from the stage of exploring mineral resources to developing projects capable of achieving added economic and industrial value, especially in copper and gold ores and strategic minerals.
The copper development project in the North Al Batinah Governorate, which brings together the Minerals Development Oman (MDO) and Kazakh-based Solidcore Resources, comes in this context, based on an extensive exploration programme and preliminary results that the Omani side described as promising.
According to data shared by MDO, the selection of the site came after an exploration and exploration programme that extended for several years and included geophysical and geochemical surveys of about 17,000 km2, while the targeted area underwent exploratory drilling work during the past two years on an area of approximately 84 km2, and the results showed indications of good mineral extensions.
Fahd al Adi, CEO of Corporate Support and Sustainability at MDO, said: “The partnership primarily aims to accelerate the cycle of mining projects from exploration and drilling to production by taking advantage of the advanced capabilities and global experience of Solidcore Resources.”
Al Adi also added that MDO seeks to benefit from the partner’s extensive experience in exploring gold and copper deposits in particular, which increases the chances of discovering good economic reserves. It will contribute to developing techniques for processing and filtering ores, especially complex ones.
From an investment perspective, the entry of a partner specialized in exploring gold and copper deposits represents an important factor in reducing the technical risks associated with the early stages of mining projects. Transitioning from promising geological indicators to extractable economic reserves requires significant investments in drilling, geological assessment, mineralogical testing and feasibility studies.
This step gains greater investment importance given the Omani government’s intention to increase the role of mining in economic diversification. According to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the Sultanate possesses important resources of copper, chromium, gypsum, limestone, manganese, silica, etc., and that the sector represents one of the tributaries of diversifying sources of income and attracting private sector investments in exploration, extraction and related industries.
Total investments in the mining sector exceeded RO 105 million during 2025, in conjunction with the signing of six new concession agreements, bringing the total mining concession areas to 28 areas managed by 13 companies. Exports of copper concentrates amounted to about 95,000 tonnes, while mining production reached about 65 million tonnes, and sales reached about 60 million tonnes, with a value of approximately RO 159 million.
These numbers indicate that investment in mining is no longer limited to geological survey operations, but rather has begun to transform into a productive and export activity, which raises the importance of new copper projects as they are capable of adding new productive resources and exports to the Omani economy.
Copper is at the heart of investment opportunities, as copper is of particular importance in the Omani mining strategy, not only because of the presence of historical deposits in the Sultanate, but also because of the increasing global demand for the metal used in electricity networks, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and infrastructure.
The Invest in Oman platform presents multiple opportunities in the mining sector, including exploration, extraction, mineral processing, refining and manufacturing, and indicates the allocation of investments of about $260 million for copper, gypsum and chromite projects. The Sultanate also highlights more than 30 commercially viable minerals and more than 300 potential sites, in addition to infrastructure in Sohar and Duqm that support mining activities and associated industries.
The Ministry of Energy and Minerals is working to expand the local and international investor base by offering new concession areas and making geological data available to investors. In 2025, the Ministry proposed four concession areas, while work is underway during 2026 to offer three additional concession areas and three sites for public investment. The digitization of the sector’s operations has also been completed through the “Taqa” platform, with the aim of increasing efficiency and transparency and facilitating investment procedures.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
