Sohar Titanium Company - One of the Minerals Development Oman companies - has laid the foundation stone for its integrated plant to produce titanium dioxide in Sohar Free Zone, on an area of 120,000 square meters, with a capacity of 150,000 tons a year, at a cost of OMR 43 million. The commercial operation is expected to start by 2025.

Sohar Titanium project is a strategic partnership between Minerals Development Oman (MDO) (35%), Dubal Holding Company and Stork International Group through the Gulf Titanium Company.

On this occasion, Eng. Nasser bin Saif Al Maqbali, MDO's CEO, said: “Today’s celebration of laying the foundation stone for Sohar Titanium project marks the beginning of a significant journey of construction works for the company’s plant to produce titanium dioxide in cooperation with our partners. We are looking forward to celebrating the reopening and operation nearly two years from now”.

He added: “MDO's investment in this project reflects its commitment towards developing downstream industries associated with the mining sector, due to their importance to mining's role as a tributary of the national economy. MDO is pursuing this approach through a number of other projects which are under studies”.

“MDO is following a clear approach when it comes to investing in exploration projects in its concession areas. After the company confirms that commercial reserves existing, it starts to develop a value-added chain, which allows manufacturers to either invest in the minerals, attract foreign investment, or promote them and upport the private sector in investing in them” He added.

Form his side, Mr. Abdullah Jassim bin Kalban, Suhar Titanium Company’s Chairman, said, "This step marks a valuable achievement for the industrial sector in the Sultanate of Oman and the region in general, as the project will contribute to the development of industries related to titanium dioxide. In addition, this partnership offers an encouraging mining investment in the Sultanate, taking advantage of the country's modern industrial infrastructure”.

The purpose of selecting Sohar Free Zone as an ideal site for the project is to take advantage of the advanced infrastructure in the region, and to meet the project's needs whether in importing the raw materials or exporting the final product, as well as the proximity of the free zone to the target markets.

Omar Al Mahrizi, Chief Executive Officer of SOHAR Freezone and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SOHAR Port said: “Mining has been identified as one of the core pillars to economic diversification within Oman Vision 2040. It is also a key driving sector alongside logistics to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into Oman. This is due to the Sultanate’s proximity to core markets, sea access to marine’s busiest global routes, and competitive value propositions for doing business”.

He added: “The titanium dioxide production plant is another exciting prospect reinforcing SOHAR Freezone’s ability to offer potential investors access to world-class infrastructure, facilities, and ancillary services.”

It’s worth mentioning that titanium dioxide is used in a wide variety of applications, including paints, food coloring, papers, inks, toothpaste, and cosmetics. The material is also used in the production of titanium metal.