Muscat – Working towards carbon neutrality by 2050, Oman is exerting concerted efforts to reduce pollution from the transport sector, which accounts for 18% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the sultanate.

To achieve set goals, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) is offering incentives to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, and has overseen installation of close to 100 charging points across Oman.

“It is hoped that during the next two years, this number will reach 300 across the sultanate,” said H E Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi, Undersecretary for Transport in MTCIT.

He further informed that the number of EVs in Oman now exceeds 400 “amid an ongoing push to facilitate procedures for new car dealers to import directly from manufacturers”.

Additionally, relevant authorities have approved a list of incentives to promote uptake of EVs. “There is steady increase in EVs as a number of agencies have begun selling these. But price remains a challenge. There are ongoing attempts to enable new agents to import less expensive, high-quality safe cars.”

According to H E Shamakhi, 60% per cent of emissions from the transport sector are from light vehicles, while heavy vehicles, trucks and the maritime transport sector contribute the rest. “If the aviation sector is added, the percentage will reach 25% of the total emissions in Oman.”

Another initiative to reduce carbon emissions, which is at an early stage, is the establishment of a green transit corridor for heavy vehicles and goods linking Sohar Port to oil concession areas.