Petroleum Development Oman: Securing A Sustainable Future

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is the leading oil and gas exploration and production company in Oman, delivering the majority of the country’s fossil fuel supply.

The company’s vision is “to be renowned and respected for the excellence of our people and the value we create for Oman and all our stakeholders.”

This has seen us take on a leadership role in not only generating the revenue needed for the country’s sustainable development, but also championing renewable energy in the face of mounting climate change realities.

Striking this balance is key as we make the critical transition from a conventional operator to a fully fledged energy enterprise with a far greater emphasis on solar and wind technologies.

This approach has meant a focus on SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 17 (partnerships for goals) as we forge and deepen collaborative relationships with research and development organisations and other industry players to make the change.

Reducing gas consumption and enhancing energy and water management in our operations are key strategic priorities.

We are signatory to the World Bank’s initiative to end routine flaring in our operations well before the stated 2030 deadline and have embarked on our series of initiatives to conserve energy and cut pollution.
PDO is investing heavily in “green” solutions such as the one gigawatt peak capacity Miraah solar thermal installation at Amal, which harnesses the sun’s rays to generate steam instead of burning gas for enhanced oil recovery.

We are also building a 100 megawatt solar facility at Amin to power our field installations, the world’s first utility-scale solar project to have an oil and gas company as the sole wholesale buyer of electricity. This will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 137,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 23,000 large cars off the road.
And at our Muscat headquarters, we have installed thousands of solar panels in car parks to provide power for our main office buildings.

We believe Oman, with one of the highest solar energy intensities in the world, can be at the forefront of driving the energy transition, leading to a lower carbon footprint while boosting the economy through new supply chains and employment opportunities.

We are also expanding our award-winning Nimr reed beds project, considered to be the largest industrial constructed wetland system in the world. Here, we are using vegetation to treat oilfield water as an eco-friendly alternative to energy-intensive deep water disposal. This scheme, which has turned a 10.5 km2 patch of desert into a green oasis for more than 100 wildlife species, has a projected saving of 680 million m3 of gas over 10 years.

As the central engine of the economy, we hope that our example will act as a spur to other operators and sectors to help secure a greener future as well as raise public awareness of the need of everybody to think and act more sustainably.