Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) today (18 May, 2016) communicated its efforts to combat the low oil price environment and spearhead Omanisation during an official visit by the Majlis A’Shura to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters.
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The eminent group was led by its Chairman, His Excellency Khalid bin Hilal Al Maawali who praised the Company for its work on driving economic development and social investment in the Sultanate.
A senior PDO management team, headed by Managing Director Raoul Restucci, gave an overview of the Company’s performance on a range of matters including health, safety and the environment, production, cost control and the creation of job and training opportunities for Omanis through its pioneering In-Country Value (ICV) and Lean efficiency programmes.
HE Khalid bin Hilal Al Maawali praised PDO’s efforts on the economy, efficiency, new technology and on providing Omani training and employment opportunities, saying: “We commend PDO efforts and its role in supporting the Omani economy and its tangible contribution in the areas of corporate social responsibility and community development.
“We have attended a presentation on the activities of the Company and its National Objectives programme. We are pleased and proud of what we have seen of the development taking place and the technological progress made, as well as the Company's support for the training and employment of Omanis.
“It is with pride and high esteem that we congratulate the Company and applaud these efforts. We wish PDO’s management and staff continued further success and more outstanding achievements.”
During the three-hour official engagement, the guests visited PDO’s Bait Mina Al Fahal HQ building and the hi-tech Lekhwair and Qarn Alam Collaborative Work Environment centres, which featured a live broadcast from the field with Coastal staff.
They also toured a small exhibition featuring some of PDO’s award-winning projects and challenges, including Harweel, which is one of the world’s most challenging miscible sour gas injection projects, Miraah, one of the largest solar energy ventures globally and the Nimr reed beds, a pioneering energy-efficient wetland scheme to treat produced water from oil production.
There was a focus on how PDO had responded to the present low oil price environment and explanatory displays of oil samples, fossils, rocks, equipment and goods made by women on the Company’s Banat Oman vocational training programme.
The visitors were also shown a film giving a corporate overview of PDO and one outlining its National Objectives programme which has generated more than 20,000 employment, training and re-deployment opportunities for Omanis since 2011.
PDO also presented on the success of its Super Local Community Contractors – Omani-owned companies providing oilfield services - which now employ around 800 Omanis, have a capital value of more than RO 23 million and have just paid dividends of up to 15% to their 9,400 shareholders.
The engagement came after the State Council made its first-ever visit to the Company’s headquarters in March.
Mr Restucci said: “It is a great honour for PDO to welcome our esteemed visitors from the Majlis A’Shura who have taken a keen interest in our activities over the years.
“We conveyed some of the steps we are taking to combat the current low oil price environment, such as maximising lower cost primary and secondary production, rigorously controlling expenditure, pursuing greater efficiency across all aspects of our business and investing in Omani talent and businesses to ensure sustainable development.
“Our honoured guests were highly appreciative of the outstanding work that PDO and our contractors do to serve the nation and their acknowledgement will be a spur for us to redouble our efforts during this challenging time.”
The Majlis A’Shura visit is the latest in an extensive programme of engagement by PDO with a range of its key stakeholders. Last year, the Council of Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, made a first-ever visit to PDO, followed by a delegation of ministerial undersecretaries and senior officials.
In 2014, members of the Majlis A’Shura Economic and Financial Committee also visited Harweel, one of PDO’s most technically demanding projects that is performing impressively.