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Oman’s Ministry of Energy & Minerals (MEMR) has awarded exploration permits to local companies for two mining concessions in the sultanate.

Modern Sources Company won the first agreement for the exploration of copper ore in concession area B22.

Concession area B22 is located in North Al-Sharqiyah Governorate and covers approximately 1,448 square kilometres (sq km). The concession is estimated to hold more than 16 million tonnes of copper, with recoverable reserves of up to 10 million tonnes.

Al-Baraka Petrochemical Salts Company secured an agreement for the exploration of salt ore in concession area 62-A. This concession area is located in Al-Wusta Governorate and covers 46 sq km.

Al-Baraka aims to invest up to $29m to extract salt from the Al-Lakbi area through seawater evaporation, and to eventually achieve a production capacity of approximately 4 million tonnes a year.

MEMR’s agreement with Al-Baraka also covers the establishment of other projects, including plants for the washing and refining of salt, along with magnesium, sodium sulphate, bromine and lithium compound production plants.

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