Monday 16 / June / 2025
Muscat: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) has announced the tender for consultancy services to prepare the master plan, detailed design, and supervision for the first phase of the integrated mining economic cluster project in the Wilayat of Shaleem and the Halaniyat islands in Dhofar Governorate.
The Authority has invited specialised consultancy offices, registered with the Secretariat General of the Tender Board in the excellent and first categories, to submit their proposals.
The deadline for purchasing the tender documents is set for June 25, while the final date for submitting bids is July 9.
The Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones reviewed, during its third meeting in 2024, the executive procedures for the results of the Ministry of Economy’s study on establishing integrated industrial clusters in the Shaleem industrial minerals area, cooling chains and food industries in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD), aluminum-based industries in the Sohar Free Zone, and linking these industrial clusters to the industrial strategy.
The integrated mining economic cluster in Shaleem and the Halaniyat islands is distinguished by its location along regional maritime trade routes, and its wealth of natural resources such as minerals, fishery resources, and renewable energy sources, in addition to several tourism assets and oil and gas concessions.
The cluster, overseen by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), will stimulate investment in the mining sector and its related industries, enhancing added value and supporting other sectors such as logistics, energy, food security, and tourism. The cluster aims to drive economic growth across various sectors, strengthen interconnections between economic sectors, expand the production and export base, and enable the sector to increase its contribution to the GDP.
Wilayat of Shaleem and the Halaniyat Islands are promising mineral areas, distinguished by their strategic geographic location overlooking regional maritime corridors and their rich geological content, including gypsum, limestone, and dolomite ores.
