Oman to build nation's first sugar refinery

The Oman Sugar Refinery Company recently struck a deal with China-based Sinolight to build the Gulf nation’s first sugar refinery in the port city of Sohar.

The move comes as Oman, like many Gulf countries, works to diversify its economy to meet the demands of the future. While the sugar refinery will help diversify the nation’s economy and provide some Omanis with steady jobs, it also will serve the important purpose of bolstering Oman’s food security.

The new sugar refinery will be designed as a state-of-the-art modern facility utilizing the latest production technology to produce high-quality refined sugar. The refinery aims to put out a million tons of refined sugar each year.

Sohar’s port facilities will be a strategic feature of the sugar refinery. The deepwater port have an adjacent container terminal and a bulk agricultural cargo terminal that will serve the refinery.

The facility is to be wholly owned by Omanis with the ability to produce an Omani-branded product for local, regional and international markets.

The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the facility was awarded to Sinolight by the Oman Sugar Refinery Company, but the construction will be managed by Bosch Projects, a development company out of South Africa.