Gulf Metal Materials Company has expanded its chrome processing capacity at its Samail plant to strengthen value-added mineral production in Oman.
Developed with investments of approximately $5.2 million (OMR2 million), the facility is one of the largest plants specializing in the processing and purification of chrome ore in the Sultanate of Oman and the region.
The company is scheduled to inaugurate the expansion of its chrome processing plant next Wednesday.
The project is part of Oman’s broader strategy to strengthen the mining and quarrying sector by advancing value-added mineral processing and encouraging investment in the country’s mineral resources.
Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Hadi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gulf Metal Materials Company and its subsidiaries, said that the chrome processing plant was established to increase the added value of Omani mineral resources and enhance the mining sector’s contribution to diversifying national income.
Al-Hadi noted that the facility upgrades low-grade chrome ore with a purity level of around 10 percent to approximately 40 percent, meeting specialized industrial standards and increasing the commercial value of the mineral.
Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Hadi added that the plant currently has the capacity to process around 25,000 tonnes of low-grade chrome ore each month, producing approximately 10,000 tonnes of high-grade chrome ore.
The company plans an additional expansion at the beginning of next year that will increase processing capacity to between 60,000 and 100,000 tonnes of ore per month.
Once completed, the expansion is expected to raise production to more than 35,000 tonnes of high-grade chrome ore each month.
The plant’s entire production will be supplied to the company’s ferrochrome plant in the Wilayat of Sohar, owned by Gulf Metal Materials Company and Gulf Chrome Alloys Mining Company.
This arrangement will strengthen integration between the company’s operations while creating additional opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises through service, transport, and logistics contracts.
The project is also expected to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for Omani citizens as production capacity increases.
Al-Hadi remarked that the participation of a specialized Chinese strategic partner has contributed to increasing production at the Sohar ferrochrome plant, where output has risen from approximately 3,000 tonnes to 7,500 tonnes of chromium alloys. The expansion will support Oman’s chromium alloy exports to Asian and European markets while strengthening local supply chains.
The company currently provides contracting opportunities for nearly 100 small and medium-sized enterprises and plans to employ 100 job seekers from communities near its operations in Samail and Sohar during the next phase of expansion.
