Al Ma’awali hails Petroleum Development Oman for driving economic growth

Muscat: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) conveyed its efforts to combat the low oil price environment and spearhead Omanisation during an official visit by the Majlis Al Shura members to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters yesterday.
The group was led by its Chairman, Khalid bin Hilal Al Ma’awali, who praised the company for its work on driving economic development and social investment in the Sultanate.
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A senior PDO management team, headed by Managing Director Raoul Restucci, gave an overview of the Company’s performance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) and Lean efficiency programmes.
Khalid bin Hilal Al Ma’awali praised PDO’s efforts on the economy, efficiency, new technology and on providing Omani training and employment opportunities, saying: “We commend PDO efforts and its role in supporting the Omani economy and its tangible contribution in the areas of corporate social responsibility and community development.”
He added: “We have attended a presentation on the activities of the Company and its National Objectives programme. We are pleased and proud of what we have seen of the development taking place and the technological progress made, as well as the Company’s support for the training and employment of Omanis”.
He further said: “It is with pride and high esteem that we congratulate the company and applaud these efforts. We wish PDO’s management and staff continued further success and more outstanding achievements”.
During the three-hour engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fahal HQ building and the hi-tech Lekhwair and Qarn Alam Collaborative Work Environment centres, which featured a live broadcast from the field with Coastal staff.
They also toured a small exhibition featuring some of PDO’s award-winning projects and challenges, including Harweel, which is one of the world’s most challenging miscible sour gas injection projects, Miraah, one of the largest solar energy ventures and the Nimr reed beds, a pioneering energy-efficient wetland scheme to treat water from oil production.
There was a focus on how PDO had responded to the present low oil price environment and explanatory displays of oil samples, fossils, rocks, equipment and goods made by women on the Company’s “Banat Oman” vocational training programme.
The visitors were shown a film giving a corporate overview of PDO and one outlining its National Objectives programme, which has generated more than 20,000 employment, training and re-deployment opportunities for Omanis since 2011.