Muscat – The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) has announced a consultancy tender for the preparation of a master plan, detailed design, and supervision services for the first phase of an integrated mining economic cluster project in the Wilayat of Shaleem and the Halaniyat Islands, located in the Dhofar Governorate.

OPAZ has invited specialised consultancy firms, registered with the Secretariat General of the Tender Board under the ‘Excellent’ and ‘First’ categories, to submit their proposals. The deadline for purchasing tender documents is set for June 25, while the final date for submitting bids is July 9.

During its third meeting of 2024, the OPAZ Board of Directors reviewed the executive procedures following the Ministry of Economy’s study on the development of integrated industrial clusters. These include: the industrial minerals cluster in Shaleem; cooling chains and food industries in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD); aluminium-based industries in the Sohar Free Zone; and strategies to link these clusters to the broader national industrial strategy.

The integrated mining economic cluster in Shaleem and the Halaniyat Islands is strategically located along regional maritime trade routes and is rich in natural resources, including minerals, fisheries, and renewable energy sources. It also boasts tourism assets and oil and gas concessions.

The project, to be overseen by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), is expected to stimulate investment in the mining sector and its associated industries, enhance value addition, and support other sectors such as logistics, energy, food security, and tourism.

The cluster aims to boost economic growth across multiple sectors, improve intersectoral connectivity, expand production and export capacity, and increase the sector’s contribution to GDP.

The Wilayat of Shaleem and the Halaniyat Islands are considered promising areas for mineral development, due to their strategic location along key maritime corridors and their rich geological resources, including gypsum, limestone, and dolomite ores.