Suhar – SOHAR Port and Freezone signed a land lease agreement with Starsun Sohar (FZC) to establish a recycling plant dedicated to the sustainable management of lead-acid batteries in SOHAR Freezone. Ensuring compliance with environmental standards, this project is set to enhance the recycling industry, highlighting SOHAR Port and Freezone dedication to circular economy principles in the Sultanate of Oman.

With a total investment of $3 million USD and an area of 7000 m2, the recycling plant, furnished with cutting-edge technologies, is focused on recovering valuable materials from locally used batteries, with a projected production capacity of 1000 tons per month, along with exporting lead ingots, lead oxide, and red lead oxide to key markets, including India, China, Korea, and several European countries. These products will be traded on the London Metal Exchange, thereby bolstering global trade capacities.

The agreement between SOHAR Freezone and Starsun Sohar SFZ leverages existing industrial activities in SOHAR, transforming waste into resources and fostering a sustainable economic ecosystem. Mr. Israil Khan, Chief Managing Director of Starsun Sohar stated, "We are excited about this agreement with SOHAR Freezone and the promising opportunities it offers to investors. By leveraging the strategic advantages provided by SOHAR Freezone and its continued growth, this project will create new avenues for economic growth and advance the technology behind lead acid battery recycling.”

Commenting on this agreement, Omar bin Mahmood Al Mahrizi, CEO of SOHAR Freezone- DCEO SOHAR Port, said: “By establishing this new recycling plant, the third in SOHAR Freezone, we are taking a step forward in demonstrating our commitment to circular economy. We are setting a model for sustainable industrial practices, where waste is transformed into valuable resources, thereby fostering a greener, more resilient economic ecosystem. Through strategic industrial synergy, we are harnessing the collective strengths of our partners to drive positive change in the industry, pioneering the transition towards a sustainable greener future.”

About SOHAR Port and Freezone

As one of the fastest-growing ports in the world, SOHAR Port and Freezone continues to leverage on its strategic location and enhance its services, positioning itself as a key logistics hub within the region and across the world boasting container, liquids, and bulk terminals. A powerful combination of the expertise of the Port of Rotterdam and the government of the Sultanate of Oman, represented by ASYAD, it is earmarked as one of the Sultanate’s mega-projects, home to logistics, petrochemicals, and metal clusters, as well as the region’s first dedicated agri terminal. Today, after 20 years of operation, it serves as the main gateway for import and export in Oman, directly contributing 2.1% of the country’s GDP and almost 26,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. With a focus on sustainable development and cutting-edge technology, it is leading the development and modernization of the Sultanate’s logistics infrastructure and supporting the economic diversification objectives of Oman’s 2040 Vision.

For more information about SOHAR Port and Freezone, please visit soharportandfreezone.om.