The Oman Institute for Oil and Gas, the first of its kind in the Sultanate, has been launched at the Innovation Park Muscat.

His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan, Chairman of The Research Council (TRC) inaugurated the Oman Oil and Gas Institute (instOG), the first of its kind specialised in the training and development of professionals in the energy sector in the Sultanate.

Spread over an area of 12,000 sqm, the Institute will serve as the future research and development hub for the oil and gas industry.

Sayyid Shihab also opened at the same Institute the laboratories for energy and mining sectors. These laboratories come within the efforts made by the government to enhance scientific diversification in the 9th five-year plan. The six-week-long labs are organised by the Ministry of Oil and Gas and the Public Authority for Mining in cooperation with the Tanfeedh Follow-up Unit.

Sayyid Shihab affirmed that Oman Oil and Gas Institute, which specialises in the training and development of professionals in the energy sector, is an addition to educational institutes in the Sultanate.

It is also a qualitative addition to the oil and gas sector and will contribute to promoting innovation and specialized education.

He said that the Institute plays an important role in training oil and gas professionals. He hoped that the graduates would meet the needs of the oil and gas market.

On his part, His Highness Dr. Fahd bin Al Julanda Al Said, Assistant Secretary-General for Innovation Development at The Research Council, said “We believe instOG will make a significant contribution to the development of human resources and capabilities, to employ scientific research and innovation in addressing the industry’s challenges facing human capital. He noted that instOG is the first stage of Innovation Complex Muscat , which aims At promoting scientific research and development , which are pillars of economic development in the Sultanate.

On his part, Eng Essam bin Saud Al Zadjali, CEO of Oman Oil Company said that the Institute will rehabilitate human resources by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills in oil and gas projects management. He pointed out that the Institute accommodates 200 trainees from among fresh graduates in the different engineering fields related to the oil and gas sectors. “In addition to the three-year-long training courses, the Institute will provide short courses in coordination with the oil organizations in the Sultanate depending on the required specialization, such as drilling engineering, geology and other oil and gas related specialisations’, he added. “This is a partnership between the Ministry of Oil and Gas and other companies. We are happy to have labs for mining and energy supported by the Tanfeedh programme,” he pointed out.

Mohsin Hadhrami, MD Schlumberger Oman, said “We are happy to have this Institute in Oman that will give several opportunities to the people here. This will help the local population contribute to the oil and gas industry and develop competencies possessed by the youth of the country. The centre will have all the latest technologies, like simulation of oilfield scenarios. This will help the local population develop their skills in the oil and gas sector.”

Eng. Hilal bin Mohammed Al Busaidi, CEO of the Public Authority for Mining, hoped that the energy and mining labs -which began their work today- will come out with implementable programs and initiatives . He pointed out that the institute of the mining sector lab includes the initial outputs of the general strategy for mining. He added that the mining labs include three kinds of labs for metal, non-metal and manufacturing industries associated with them.includes

As for the energy labs, Saif bin Hamad Al Salmani, Director General of Exploration and Production at the Ministry of Oil and Gas said that the aim of these labs is to develop a national strategy for energy. He pointed out that the labs will discuss three themes including the supply and demand for gas, allocating additional quantities of gas for the industry sector and the use of local materials and social responsibility.

“The Public Authority for Mining, through its strategic trends, seeks to increase the Sultanate’s production of mines as this will double the GDP for the sector. The Authority seeks to attract private investments and facilitate investment procedures by the different public organisations.

Oman Oil and Gas Institute (InstOG), a joint venture between Oman Oil Company and Schlumberger Oman Company, seeks to ensure matching between education outputs and the needs of the labour market.

The institute is designed to be a pioneering and specialised institute in the training and qualification of engineers and geologists, providing them with the necessary skills to develop and sustain the Sultanate’s oil and gas resources. It incorporates state-of-the-art simulation technology and virtual reality platforms to provide a reality-like training environment.

It is established on a total area of 4,800 square metres, which contains a number of facilities, including a technical training centre, lecture halls, halls for workshops and simulations, classrooms, laboratories and a service building. The Institute welcomes new graduates, as well as specialists in this field, and works to provide an ideal environment for engineers and help them to master the oil and gas sectors. The institute’s programme covers the fields of well drilling engineering, production engineering, geophysics, petrochemicals, reservoir engineering and earth sciences. The opening ceremony was attended by a number of their excellences in the oil and gas sectors, participants at the labs, representatives of the public and private organisations , a group of academicians , experts and representatives of the civil society organisations.