Sun Metals, an Omani firm set up by Indian investors, is preparing to start construction on a steel mill project in Sur, in northeastern Oman.

The project is expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes a year (t/y) of steel-grade feedstock using iron ore mined from Ibra, located about 100 kilometres inland from Sur, the Oman Daily Observer reported.

Construction work on Sun Metals’ project is set to start after Ramadan, which is expected to end on 18 August. The project is the first major non-hydrocarbon industrial investment in Ash Sharqiyah – a coastal region south of Muscat.