A major expansion project of Sohar Industrial Estate aimed at building another 8.5 million square meters of industrial area with a capital expenditure of OMR20 million will be completed in the first quarter of 2017.
This is part of a series of expansion programmes at the industrial estate for enhancing various facilities, including residential complex for workers, in a phased manner.
As much as 20 per cent of the development of the seventh phaseat Sohar industrial estate has already been completed. The seventh phaseis divided into three sub-stages – the first one for warehouses and food processing plants, the second for light industries and the third for heavy and medium industries. The project includes roads, drainage facilities, water, irrigation and electricity networks.
Eng. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Mayasi, director of operations at Sohar Industrial Zone, said that the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) is currently implementing several projects that aim at providing the infrastructure at the new expansions and attracting more investments.
The projects include the development of the seventh stage, the master plan for the zone, completing the services for the stages from 3 to 6 and the value added projects, such as the facilities building and residential complex for workers.
“The contractor for the residential complex for workers will start the first stage of the project within two months and is expected to complete this stage by 2017,” said Eng. Al Mayasi.
He added that the industrial estate’s master plan is expected to create an impressive leap in the services rendered to investors in the zone. As much as 95 per cent of the supportive services and projects for the current and future stages have been already completed with the remaining five per cent to be completed by February, 2016.
He pointed out that the projects for completing the services for the stages from three to six are expected to be floated during the second quarter of 2016.
“These projects include the construction of a plant for drainage, irrigation and agriculture. The six-storey building is currently at the design stage and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017,” added Eng. Al Mayasi.
“The value of investments at the zone since opening in November 1992 till date stands at about OMR1.85 billion. The industrial zone hosts 269 projects and 12,408 workers of which 36 per cent are Omanis,” he added.
He also pointed out that the demand of industrial plots is likely to increase with the completion of the underway projects and completing the different services at the stages from 3 to 7.
“While Sohar Industrial Zone also launched the e-application system to facilitate and simplify procedures for investors, work is underway to launch many e-system that will add value to investors,” he noted.
“30 projects in food processing, steel and iron, building materials and other manufacturing industries, with OMR100 million worth investments, have been hosted by the estate,” he concluded.
Sohar Industrial Zone is known for its strategic location and proximity to the GCC, India, Iran and Pakistan markets. The export from the zone is very easy due to proximity to Sohar Industrial Port, about six km away from Sohar airport, Al Batinah Expressway and the planned railway project.