MUSCAT — Well-known Omani contractor Hasan bin Juma bin Backer Trading & Contracting has been awarded a contract to develop the infrastructure for a significantly expanded Sohar Industrial Estate (SIE).

  The contract, valued at RO 9.7 million, will enable the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), which manages SIE as well as seven other industrial and technology parks around the country, to create dedicated aluminium and plastics downstream parks in Sohar.

  SIE, which was established in 1992 to house small and medium scale manufacturing units, is benefiting from its proximity to the industrial port of Sohar where a number of primary projects are either operational or under various stages of development.

  These primary industries, notably the polypropylene project within the Port of Sohar and a giant aluminium smelter outside the port, have spawned huge interest in potential secondary investment. The large majority of these downstream ventures will be housed within Sohar Industrial Estate.

  To make room for these new investments, SEE is adding a further two million square metres of land to its existing industrial park. This enlargement accounts for phases 3, 4, 5 and 6 of SIE's phased expansion programme.

  As part of its contract, Hasan bin Juma bin Backer will develop a network of roads delineating the various plots earmarked for new industries within the expanded park. The contractor will also put in place the requisite utilities, including gas supply lines, potable water and sewage pipes, power supply and telecom cables, various electro-mechanical services, street-lighting, and so on.

  Part of the expanded industrial estate will be developed into an aluminium-based downstream park which will receive hot metal as feedstock from Sohar Aluminium's $2.4 billion smelter next door. Sohar Aluminium, which commenced production last month, has pledged up to 60 per cent of its total liquid metal output of 350,000 tonnes/year for Sohar-based downstream industries.

  Salzburg Aluminium Sohar LLC (SAG Sohar), which is producing aluminium busbars with hot metal sourced from the smelter, commenced operations at SEE in March this year.