MUSCAT : Sohar Industrial City, affiliated with the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), received around 49 investment applications during the first six months of the year.

Of these, the industrial city successfully signed 39 contracts, comprising 22 new contracts, 12 expansion contracts, four replacement contracts and one renewal contract.

Engineer Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Mayasi, Director General of Sohar Industrial City, said cumulative investment in the industrial hub has now exceeded RO 2.3 billion.

The total leased area stands at approximately 16.29 million square metres, out of a developed area of nearly 19.86 million square metres. The overall area of Sohar Industrial City, including developed and undeveloped land, exceeds 30.4 million square metres.

The number of companies established in the city has also risen to 497, employing around 12,671 workers.

Among the major projects signed during the first half of the year is a RO 25 million ceramics factory, which will be developed over an area of 241,000 square metres.

The project will feature three production lines, each capable of producing 30,000 square metres per day. Once fully operational, total production capacity will reach 90,000 square metres per day, while initial operations are expected to begin at 60,000 square metres per day.

Around 25 per cent of the factory’s production will be allocated to the local market, while the remaining 75 per cent will be exported to GCC and neighbouring markets.

The project is expected to generate between 500 and 600 jobs, including more than 150 opportunities for Omanis, while contributing to knowledge transfer, industrial development and greater added value for the national economy.

Al Mayasi also highlighted a renewable energy project currently being developed in Sohar Industrial City, describing it as an important strategic step towards advancing Oman’s clean-energy transition.

The project is expected to have a production capacity of 93 megawatts and will form part of a strategic partnership to operate and manage a clean-energy distribution network, establish an integrated billing governance system and provide energy services to investors in line with international best practices.

The initiative is designed to offer investors clean energy at competitive costs and help reduce electricity expenses during solar-generation hours, while maintaining uninterrupted power supply during nighttime and periods when solar energy is unavailable.

The project site has been allocated in the seventh phase of Sohar Industrial City, with infrastructure planned to support integrated renewable-energy generation and distribution.

According to Al Mayasi, the project is also expected to deliver environmental benefits by helping avoid significant carbon dioxide emissions annually and reducing natural gas consumption, supporting Oman’s efforts to lower emissions and strengthen energy security.

The clean-energy initiative is further expected to improve the international competitiveness of factories operating in Sohar Industrial City by helping them meet environmental standards and global emissions-reduction requirements, potentially strengthening export prospects and sustainable industrial growth.

Meanwhile, Madayn is implementing several development projects in the industrial city, including a consultancy study for the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and support services across phases one to six, as well as completing infrastructure works in the seventh phase.

A further package of strategic projects is also planned as part of Oman’s Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan for 2026-2030.

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