Biofuels plant in Oman set begin within two months: Oman’s first biofuels producer Wakud plans to establish a plant with a capacity of 250 tons per day at an investment cost between USD 120-150 mn in partnership with Omani-British green energy venture X2E, the two companies’ top executives told Zawya. The plant, which will be set up in the country’s Khazaen Economic City, comes as part of a plan by Wakud to boost its production capacity tenfold, they said.

What we know: Construction on the project is set to begin in two months, with a completion timeframe of 16 months, Wakud CEO Maher Al Habsi told Zaywa. Production is expected to begin by the end of 2024, he added. “With this huge factory, we will be ready to produce sustainable aviation fuel and marine fuels by 2025, depending on raw material availability,” he said.

About Wakud: The Omani-based company is a joint venture between Carbon Management Services, the UK’s leading manufacturer of sustainable biofuel process equipment Green Fuels, and Al Habsi to set up a biofuel ecosystem in the Middle East starting with Oman, according to the company’s website. It supplies biofuels to various industries, including construction and shipping, in a bid to help them slash their carbon footprint.

X2E is spending big: X2E plans to invest c. USD 120 mn in Wakud’s biodiesel capacity expansion project, co-founder John Jones told Zawya. It grabbed a 60% stake in Wakud for USD 1.4 mn with an additional USD 3.6 mn expected soon to raise the capacity of the existing facility, he added.

And that’s not all: Wakud also plans to set up a fish-waste recycling facility and a vegetable and fruit waste-to-biogas plant, Al Habsi revealed. “A 50 ton-per-day fish waste-to-biodiesel conversion plant is planned at a cost of USD 5 mn to USD 7 mn. Work is expected to begin by mid of next year,” he said. They plan to make use of abandoned fruits and vegetables at the market next to its factory by recycling them into biogas, he said, with “discussions [currently] underway to secure land for the project.”

A regional expansion? Wakud could also be looking at expanding to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, he said. “About 90k tons per month of used cooking oil (UCO) is available in Saudi. The country has big plans for the sector, and we would like to participate in that,” he said.