A biodiesel plant in Oman which converts used cooking oil (UCO) into fuel is in the final stages of construction, the Oman Observer reported on 31 July.
Once completed, the plant in the Barka Industrial Area would process 3M litres/year (800,000 gallons), according to the report.
Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (Be’ah) - which was responsible for all waste management in the country - had endorsed the project, which would be implemented by Qatar-based biodiesel company Erigo Bio-fuel and Dubai-based Neutral Fuels Holdings, the Oman Observer wrote.
“Oman produces nearly 600,000 litres of used cooking oil in a year, which goes down the drain causing pollution and other environmental issues,” Asim Khamis Salman al Sabri, owner of the initiative, which was built with support from Be’ah, was quoted as saying.
“This initiative to convert UCO into useful biodiesel stems from the need for a sustainable and environment-friendly source of energy,” Erigo Bio-fuel country manager Mohammed Ashraf said.
Many European countries, including the Netherlands, had agreed to import biodiesel from Oman, according to Ashraf.
Erigo ran biofuel operations in Malaysia, Qatar, Tunisia, the Philippines and India, the Oman Observer said, and had agreements with thousands of restaurants across the region to source UCO.
Funded by London-based Neutral Capital Finance through the region’s first certified green bond, Neutral Fuels has operations in in the UAE, Bahrain and India, according to the report.
