Middle East / Africa
Country profile: Oman
| Location: | Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE |
| Climate: | dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south |
| Terrain: | central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south |
| Size: | 212460 sq. km total (Land area: 212460 sq. km ) |
| Population: | 3,311,640 |
| Languages: | Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects |
| Government: | monarchy |
| Capital city: | Muscat |
| Legal system: | based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Omani rial (OMR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
Oman’s economy is heavily reliant on oil revenues, which account for about 75 percent of the country’s export earnings and 40 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). During 2006, Oman’s real GDP grew at an estimated rate of 4.2 percent, down from 5.7 percent in 2005. The slowdown in economic growth occurred largely as a result of declining oil production in Oman. To help offset these declines, the government has devoted considerable resources to new exploration and production activities, enhanced oil recovery projects, and introduced policies aimed at diversifying the country’s economy away from the oil sector.
The development of natural gas reserves in Oman is a central part of this effort, and natural gas production is likely to expand considerably during the next several years. All of Oman’s domestic energy consumption is supplied by natural gas and oil, reflecting the country’s relative abundance of oil and natural gas reserves.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 740,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 18 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 66,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 8 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 733,100 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 10 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 15,440 bbl/day (2006 est.) | |
| Reserves: | 4 billion bbl (2007 est.) | 795 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
Oman - recent news
| 16 Apr 25 |
Oman: Halliburton and Nabors bring drilling automation to the forefront in the Middle East Halliburton and Nabors Industries achieved the first fully automated surface and subsurface execution of rotary and slide drilling operations in Oman. The integration of the companies’ digital solutions delivered land-based, closed-loop drilling solutions to improve operational efficiency, consistency, and real-time decision-making capabilities. |
| 07 Apr 25 |
Oman: Wood to support Petroleum Development Oman’s future project portfolio Wood has won a three-year contract to provide specialist technical support to Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) - the country’s primary oil producer. Under the contract, 65 of Wood’s engineering and project management specialists will form part of PDO’s front-end engineering design (FEED) office, delivering complex front-end energy transition and carbon capture projects for PDO. |
| 11 Mar 25 |
Oman: Ministry of Energy and Minerals announces Oman licensing round 2025 The next phase of exploration in the Sultanate of Oman is underway, with the recent announcement by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) of a licensing round for 2025. Three onshore blocks are on offer. |
| 10 Mar 25 |
Oman: Genel Energy announces entry into Block 54 in Oman Genel Energy has announced the signing of agreements that will see Genel enter into Block 54 Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement in the Sultanate of Oman for a 40% participating interest, in partnering with OQ Exploration & Production SAOG ('OQEP'), who will hold a 60% participating interest and operatorship of the licence. |
| 07 Feb 25 |
Oman invites investors to participate in licensing round 2025 Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) has launched a new competitive bid round for three oil and gas exploration blocks - Block 36, Block 43A and Block 66. |
Oman - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Namibia,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
