Gov & Regulators

Under the theme ‘ICTs and Improving Road Safety’, today the Sultanate celebrates the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2013, which is annually marked on the 17^th of May. Organized by the Information Technology Authority (ITA), the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, the event takes place at the Al Bustan Palace - A Ritz Carlton Hotel beginning at 9 AM, under the patronage of Major General Abdullah bin Ali Al Harthy, Chairman of the Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance.

The event aims to raise awareness on the importance of information and communications technology (ICT), the possibilities and services it provides to the development of economies and communities, as well as the effective ways to bridge the digital divide between the participating countries on the one hand, and between individuals and groups on the other. This year’s celebration highlights the new technological possibilities that exist to ensure safety on roads and works to eliminate the community’s negative views that technology is the root cause of road accidents.

· Plant supplies about 75% of the total power demand in Dhofar

Salalah, OMAN, May 19, 2013 - Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) today celebrated the official opening of its US$1 billion Salalah Independent Water and Power Plant (Salalah IWPP) in Oman. The ceremony was graced by His Excellencies Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan bin Hamoud Al Busaidy, Oman’s Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, and K Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law, as the Guests of Honour. They were joined by government officials from Oman and Singapore, senior management representatives from Sembcorp and its partners in the project, the Oman Investment Corporation and Instrata Capital.

The Salalah IWPP was successfully completed and commenced full commercial operation in May 2012. The facility consists of a gas-fired power plant with a total gross capacity of 490 megawatts (net capacity of 445 megawatts) and a seawater desalination plant with a total water production capacity of 15 million imperial gallons (69,000 cubic metres) per day. It will provide power and water under a 15-year power and water purchase agreement with the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, which is wholly owned by the Government of Oman.

Today, the Salalah IWPP supplies about 75% of the total power demand in Dhofar. The plant is Sembcorp’s first facility in Oman. The project was secured in 2009, following a competitive bidding process involving global utilities players. Besides the Salalah IWPP, Sembcorp also owns, operates and maintains the Fujairah 1 Independent Water and Power Plant – one of the world’s largest operating hybrid desalination plants – in the UAE since 2006.

Tang Kin Fei, Sembcorp’s Group President & CEO, said, “We at Sembcorp are very pleased to celebrate this momentous occasion. The successful completion of the Salalah IWPP is a significant milestone for Sembcorp and reaffirms our capabilities as a leading global energy and water player, with a solid track record in identifying, securing, financing and executing large scale energy and water projects.

“As the largest and most energy-efficient power and water plant in Dhofar, the Salalah IWPP will play a major role in meeting the region’s growing power and water demand. Together with our partners, we look forward to serving the essential power and water needs of the region for many more years to come.”

Al Jabal Al Akhdar, May 15^th 2013 – In partnership with Nizwa Municipality Branch in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Omran recently concluded another successful anti-littering campaign in Al Jabal Al Akhdar that brought the community together under the slogan ‘Working Together for a Better Environment and Beautiful Nation.’ The organizers explained the importance of maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of tourist attractions in Wadi Bani Habib to more than 100 students from the third and fourth grades of Robaa Al Jabal and Al Ghalil Schools. The students were also encouraged to follow environmentally friendly practices that reinforce Omran’s commitment to preserving the natural environments in local communities.

•    Mortality rate for mothers and babies has been decreased
•    Immunization rate reached 99%
•    Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi, ITA’s CEO: “Oman has taken solid steps to integrate the ICT on the creation of a quantum leap in various fields.”

The Ministry of Health’s ‘Mother and Child System’ has won a WSIS Project Prize in Geneva, Switzerland, in the category of ‘ICT Applications – e-health’. The winning projects were announced during the Opening Ceremony of the WSIS Forum 2013 event, which is taking place this week in the Swiss capital, Geneva, amid wide international participation of government bodies and institutions involved in IT, and private institutions and individuals concerned with IT from around the world. The Sultanate takes part in the summit, as the government strategic partner, with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and other organizations.

The Sultanate’s delegation to the Forum is headed by Dr. Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of the Information Technology Authority (ITA), and includes representatives of the Royal Oman Police (ROP), Ministry of Health, the State Audit Institution (SAI), the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), with Abdullah bin Nasser al-Rahbi, the Sultanate's Permanent Delegate to the United Nations.

• AUS inaugurates its annual Nobel Laureate Lecture Series with Dr. Thomas Sargent, 2011 Nobel prize winner in economics, speaking on the “Euro Crisis: Sources and Its Global Implications”

Sharjah, May 13, 2013 — His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS) attended today a lecture by Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas Sargent, 2011 Nobel prize winner in economics, one of the 20 most-cited economists in the world and the Guru of Rational Expectations, entitled, “Euro Crisis: Sources and Its Global Implications.” The lecture inaugurated the American University of Sharjah’s annual Nobel Laureate Lecture Series.

The lecture was attended by Sheikh Salem Bin Abdul Rahman Al Qassimi Director General of the Ruler’s Office, Dr. Amr Abdel hamid, Advisor to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for Higher Education, Members of AUS Board of Trustees Mr. Hamid D. Jafar, Chairman and CEO, Crescent Petroleum Company and Mr. Maroun A. Semaan, President and CEO, Petrofac International, Dr. Thomas Hochstettler, Provost and Acting Chancellor.

Dr. Hochstettler thanked in his opening remarks His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for attending the lecture. “It is good to remind ourselves that from small but ambitious beginnings we have become a globally recognized university, with a faculty of high distinction and a student body of unbounded creative energy,” he added.

Masirah, May 12^th 2013 – The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) engaged more than 180 students from three schools from Masirah Island during a week-long public awareness drive on the importance of protecting the Loggerhead turtles and the biodiversity of the region. The campaign was part of the Fourth Annual ‘Masirah Festival for Loggerhead Turtles’ and included a host of fun-filled activities such as beach clean ups and football games funded by BP Oman.

ESO Community Outreach Manager, Omar Al Riyami said, “We believe that working hand in hand with the community is fundamental to our mission of connecting people living in Oman to their environment so they become agents of change. We are driven by a commitment to protect our natural and marine habitant and hope our work in Masirah will lead to the development of a National Turtle Conservation Strategy which is essential to protecting the 30,000 females Loggerhead Turtles that are in Oman alone.”

Muscat, May 8^th 2013 – The Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (PAIPED) spearheaded the Sultanate of Oman’s recent trade delegation to the 8th World Chambers Congress in Doha as 15 leading government organisations and private sector companies exhibited their industrial capabilities to over 2,000 participants representing 143 regional and international authorities.

Under the theme of ‘Opportunities for All’, the Congress attracted chamber of commerce representatives and business leaders from across the world to discuss and promote international trade. The Omani Pavilion was the largest visiting exhibition area with 432m² and showcased Oman-made products and introduced national manufacturers and contractors to an audience of international suppliers and distributors.

Muscat, May 7^th 2013 - A delegation of directors, screen writers and producers from Mumbai visited Oman this week to view potential filming locations as Bollywood audiences continue to crave new and exotic settings for the movie industry. With an increasing number of Indian movies being filmed overseas, The Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Development (PAIPED) is looking to position Oman as a destination for big budget Bollywood film shoots.

Famed Indian directors and writers Sriram Raghavan, Sudhir Mishra, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and Ashwini Chaudhary along with producer Amar Butala of UTV Motion Pictures, one of the leading film studios in India, met with PAIPED’s Investment Promotion Team before being shown potential locations in Muscat, Dakhiliyah and Al Batinah.

Faris Al Farsi, PAIPED’s Director General of Investment Promotion said: “We believe Oman’s versatility will appeal to Indian directors and screen writers in search of new locations. Just a two hour flight from Mumbai, Oman offers spectacular deserts, pristine beaches, clear blue seas, wadis and even snow-capped mountain scenery. The Sultanate is a popular business destination for people from the Indian subcontinent and while the country’s relationship with Bollywood is in its infancy, several movies have already been part filmed in Oman which in-turn has helped raise our global profile.”