28 agreements worth over RO 304 million: what was signed in each zone, and where the opportunity lies around the new plants

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, Oman's Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones signed 28 investment agreements worth more than RO 304 million, covering more than two square kilometres. They span the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, the Sohar and Salalah free zones, Khazaen Economic City, and the Madayn industrial cities of Sohar, Raysut, Ibri and Nizwa. This article sets out what was signed in each zone, as reported the same day by Oman Observer, Asharq Al-Awsat and Tamol, and then what it means for an investor.

Industrial cities: RO 147.6 million across 7 agreements

The largest share went to the industrial cities, on 756,802 square metres according to Oman Observer. In Sohar Industrial City: an iron and steel products plant by Atlas at RO 112 million on 440,000 square metres, and a RO 20 million ceramics plant. In Raysut: a RO 7 million organic and biological fertiliser plant, and a RO 750,000 structural metal products project. In Ibri: a RO 500,000 paper products plant. In Nizwa: two oil and gas equipment manufacturing and maintenance projects worth RO 7 million combined.

Sohar Freezone: RO 58.5 million

The main Sohar agreements are a RO 38 million automotive assembly complex on 317,000 square metres, a RO 15 million Voltamp plant for high-voltage and distribution transformers, a medical devices plant expansion, and two logistics projects for storage and re-export.

Duqm: RO 55.08 million in food and recycling

Duqm's six agreements centre on food security: a RO 40 million shrimp feed plant, livestock quarantine facilities, a fish canning plant with a planned capacity of 40 to 60 tonnes of fresh fish a day, and a tuna and squid processing and drying project with capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes a year. They also include a refinery for recycling used oil and petroleum waste, and a mixed residential and commercial building.

Salalah and Khazaen

Salalah Free Zone signed three agreements worth RO 32.95 million: a RO 19.25 million steel structures plant, a RO 7.7 million gypsum products plant, and a RO 6 million dairy and cheese project. Khazaen Economic City signed seven agreements worth more than RO 10.4 million, including an electric vehicle charger plant at more than RO 3.4 million, a RO 2.5 million precast concrete plant, and projects in building materials, ready-mix concrete, warehousing and industrial units. With these, the Khazaen free zone started operating with two agreements.

What this means for an investor

A large plant does not operate alone. Around it are recurring needs: equipment maintenance, transport and storage, packaging, building materials, raw materials and operating supplies. The sectors signed shape those needs zone by zone: steel and ceramics in Sohar, seafood and feed in Duqm, gypsum and dairy in Salalah, building materials in Khazaen. Anyone considering a service or supporting industrial business starts with one question: which plant will need my service, in which city, and when?

Limits of this reading

An investment agreement is not an operating plant. The sources do not give construction or operation dates for these projects, and the values of some smaller projects were not itemised. We could not reach the authority's original statement, so we relied on three media reports that agree on the main figures. Before building a decision on a specific project, check its implementation status with the zone concerned.

Source: عُمان أوبزرفر، «Oman signs 28 investment pacts worth over RO 304m» — 2026-10-28 · الشرق الأوسط (مسقط)، «Oman Signs 28 Investment Agreements Worth $790 Million» — 2026-10-28 · تمل، «28 اتفاقية استثمارية في المناطق الاقتصادية والحرة والمدن الصناعية» (تفاصيل المشاريع والمساحات) — 2026-10-28