For the first time in its history, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) hosted a delegation from the State Council on an official visit to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters.

The eminent group was lead by His Excellency Dr Yahya bin Mahfoodh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council and included most of its 84 members. His Excellency Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, was also in attendance.

A senior PDO management team, headed by Managing Director Raoul Restucci, gave an overview of the Company’s performance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) and Lean efficiency programmes.

During the three-hour official engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fahal HQ building and the hi-tech Lekhwair and Qarn Alam Collaborative Work Environment centres, which featured a live broadcast from the field with Coastal staff.

They also toured a small exhibition featuring some of PDO’s award-winning projects and challenges, including Harweel,  which is one of the world’s biggest miscible sour gas injection projects, Miraah, one of the largest solar energy ventures globally and the Nimr reed beds, a pioneering energy-efficient wetland scheme to treat produced water from oil production.

There was a focus on how PDO had responded to the present low oil price environment and explanatory displays of oil samples, fossils, rocks, equipment and goods made by women on the Company’s Banat Oman vocational training programme.

The visitors were also shown a film giving a corporate overview of PDO and one outlining its National Objectives programme which has generated more than 20,000 employment, training and re-deployment opportunities for Omanis since 2011.

HE Dr Yahya bin Mahfoodh Al Mantheri praised PDO’s efforts on the economy, new technology and in providing training and employment opportunities, saying, “As PDO is proud to serve Oman, we are also proud of PDO.”

Raoul Restucci said, “We are honoured to have welcomed the first-ever delegation from the State Council to PDO. We communicated some of our notable achievements and strategic priorities, such as our determination to support Omani businesses and jobseekers, and also how we are adapting to the current tough economic challenges through greater efficiency and value creation.”

“We would like to thank our distinguished guests for their support for, and recognition of, the great work our staff and contractors are doing every day to support Oman. Such visits can only encourage our employees to even greater heights to support the country’s development under the visionary leadership of His Majesty,” he added.

The State Council visit is the latest in an extensive programme of engagement by PDO with a range of its key stakeholders. Last year, the Council of Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, made a first-ever visit to PDO, followed by a delegation of ministerial undersecretaries and senior officials.

Other recent guests have included Majlis A’Shura members, foreign and Omani ambassadors, the Tanzanian government representatives, and Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium.