Expansion of Freezone Sohar to get underway.

Work on the second phase expansion of Freezone Sohar is set to begin soon, the company's chief executive officer Eng Jamal T. Aziz has said.

Infrastructure development work will take place in the coming months comprising civil work, levelling of land and construction of other heavy infrastructure facilities, including roads.

'We will start with about 200-300 hectares of infrastructure development [in the second phase], which will go up to 500-600 hectares. We continue to develop infrastructure as we grow,' Aziz said.

The expansion comes after a positive response from local and international businesses to the 5km² first phase development.

'Around 80% of 500 hectares of land in the first phase has already been committed [or occupied] and some of the projects are in operation, some others are under construction and some are yet to start construction,' Aziz told Times of Oman on the sidelines of an event to sign a land lease agreement with a United Kingdom-led consortium to build an antimony trioxide project in Sohar.

Up to 23 firms have committed to set up their manufacturing or logistics centre within the Sohar free zone.

'The total value of investment of these projects is around half a billion dollars,' Aziz said.

The development of the 45km² site in the north-western Omani city is planned in five phases.


constructionweekonline.com