Muscat: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) has awarded a consortium of an Omani and a Saudi companies a tender to provide consulting services (design and supervision of infrastructure facilities) for the first phase of Al Dhahirah Governorate’s Integrated Economic Zone.

The first phase of the project has an area of 20 square kilometres, of which 6.5 square kilometres will be implemented as a preliminary phase that includes a land port to be managed and operated by Asyad Group provided that the remaining part of the zone’s lands be developed for future expansions to keep pace with requirements of all economic sectors.

Eng. Yahya Khamis Al Zedjali, Adviser to OPAZ Chairman for Planning, said that the tender’s tasks include detailed designs for infrastructure facilities, the preparation of tender documents for construction works and the supervision, completion, operation and delivery of the project.

The tender also includes the supervision of the land port, road networks, electricity and communication services, water and irrigation networks, a sewage network, a gas network, solid waste management, administrative buildings and landscaping works.

The Integrated Economic Zone in Al Dhahirah Governorate is located about 20 kilometres from the Rub-el-Khali border crossing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The zone is also about 100 kilometres away from the Ibri Industrial City project.

Engineer Yahya added: The establishment of the zone was motivated by several goals, including optimising the advantages of its strategic border location with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, boosting intra-regional trade between the two nations, bolstering development initiatives and economic diversification, opening up new markets for the Omani economy as well as the Gulf economy, and reaping the benefits of the competitive elements.