The construction work of the first facility in Oman to recycle waste cooking oil into biofuel has begun at Khazaen Economic City.  

Wakud International, a key player in the waste cooking oil recycling field, has begun construction of its state-of-the-art plant at Khazaen, which will be the first of its kind in the sultanate to produce biofuel.  

Khazaen has expressed pride to be the hub for this plant, which is not just unique for Oman but also an environmentally sustainable project that promotes technology-based solutions to address fundamental challenges in the industry.  

The plant, for which Wakud International signed an industrial lease agreement with Khazaen in June 2020, is expected to be operational by June 2021. It will sustainably optimise untapped waste resources, thereby promoting the culture of innovation in the sultanate. 

This innovative project is being supported by the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-Up Unit and the ‘Ejaad’ initiative. The project will be implemented as a joint venture in partnership with UK company Green Fuels Ltd, a pioneer in renewable fuels and which has supplied biofuel equipment with aggregate capacity equating to US$500bn in fuel sales to customers in more than 80 countries, saving approximately 7mn tonnes of CO2 equivalent during that period. 

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Talal Hasan, chairman of the Board of Directors of Wakud, said, “We could not have chosen a better location for this pioneering project than Khazaen. Indeed, we have benefitted from several advantages that Khazaen has continued to offer since the signing of the lease agreement, like clarity in procedures, ease in completion of approvals from concerned entities, professional customer service and zero administrative costs.” 

Hasan added, “We are delighted to have commenced construction of the facility, which will add value to Oman’s circular economy in many ways and will catalyse the biofuel ecosystem in Oman.’’  

Eng Salim al Thuhli, acting CEO, Khazaen Economic City, said, “We are pleased to witness the ground-breaking of the Wakud facility in Khazaen.  

“This economic city continues to attract more investors from various industries as it offers strategic location, direct connectivity to the main roads and major ports, along with  other commercial incentives such as flexible lease packages that suit different types of investors.” 

Khazaen Economic City is Oman’s most recent integrated economic city, being developed in Barka, South Batinah governorate.