Will exploration for strategic materials in Oman help to further establish its chromium industry?

Will exploration for strategic materials in Oman help to further establish its chromium industry?

State-owned mining and mineral processing enterprise Minerals Development Oman (MDO) has signed a contract with Canada-based Sander Geophysics Ltd (SGL) to conduct airborne geophysical surveys to improve the knowledge of the geological heritage hosted in the Sultanate of Oman. The plan is to target copper and chromium areas of interest and identify other strategic minerals.

Blue View

Mineral refining capacity is already well established in Oman, with the Sohar Port and Freezone also offering access to major shipping routes. This includes ferrochrome capacity, although it is small-scale compared to the major ferrochrome powerhouses. The country has, however, become one of the top-ten sources of chromite, the main source of chromium in ferrochrome for stainless steel production. The chromite in Oman is of a relatively low grade but is blended with higher grade chromite in Chinese ferrochrome plants. One of the key challenges for Oman’s chromite industry has been limited available chromite reserves, with many of the easy pickings already starting to dwindle. As a result, exploration is a key requirement in Oman to extend chromite mineral resource and reserve estimates (if available).