Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) yesterday hosted a delegation of governors and walis on an official visit to its Mina Al Fahal headquarters in Muscat.
A senior PDO management team, headed by managing director Raoul Restucci, provided the dignitaries with an overview of the company’s performance on a range of matters, including health, safety and the environment, production, project delivery, lean business efficiency and the creation of job and training opportunities for thousands of Omanis.
There was also focus on PDO’s social investment programme which has funded vital community infrastructure such as roads, schools and health centres and vocational training programmes for local citizens.
The group included eight governors and 12 walis, including those representing wilayats in the company’s concession area and neighbouring the main oil line.
During the three-hour session at its Mina Al Fahal headquarters, PDO outlined how it was maintaining stable production while implementing rigorous cost control measures to combat the current low oil price environment.
“It was a great honour to receive our guests and share with them our success stories and challenges, our central role in Oman’s economy and society and our dynamic response to the present economic difficulties,” Restucci said.
“They were very appreciative of what we are doing to sustain oil production, meet government gas demand, build robust reserves, generate strong revenues and develop Omani talent and businesses and invest in our communities. It was made clear that we only succeed if the communities in which we operate succeed,” added Restucci.
“It is important that we engage with our key stakeholders and honestly and clearly report on our achievements and activities, while at the same time receiving feedback from them as this helps us to respond to any concerns and continuously improve our performance,” concluded Restucci.
The guests were given an overview of the scale of PDO, which operates 178 oil producing fields, around 10,000 active wells and more than 18,500 kilometres of pipelines and flowlines.
The governors and walis watched two films, one on the company’s national objectives programme, which has created 30,000 job, training and redeployment opportunities for Omani jobseekers since 2011, and the other highlighting the main corporate achievements in 2016. These included record production of 1.293 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, an improved safety performance and record investment in nationally registered businesses of US$5.03 billion.
The governors and walis were also given a tour of PDO’s Knowledge World complex, which boasts the Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre, Planetarium and EcOman Centre.
The visit is the latest in an extensive stakeholder engagement programme by PDO, which has included receptions for the State Council and Majlis A’Shura and the Council of Ministers, led by deputy prime minister HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said.
