A $384.4m aluminium rolling plant has been officially opened in Oman by the country's Minister of Oil and Gas HE Dr Mohammed al Rumhi.

Owned by Takamul Investment Co, the Oman Aluminium Rolling Company (OARC) plant has an annual capacity of 140,000 tonnes of multi-purpose aluminium sheets.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Hilal al Kharusi, chairman of OARC; Buddy Stemple, CEO of OARC; and senior government officials and representatives of private-sector organisations.

Speaking at the event, Muscat Daily reported Kharusi as saying: “In line with the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said that emphasis should be placed on diversifying the national economy and providing job opportunities to Omanis, this huge project will be a milestone in the Omani industrial sector and will bring in numerous benefits to the national economy.

"The official inauguration of the OARC plant today is just the beginning, and we are looking at reaching full plant operational capacity in the first quarter of 2014. We are committed to providing quality products of international standards.

"We also aspire to become a world-leader in rolled aluminium production following our plans to export processed aluminium to different countries overseas.

Highlighting the potential of the plant, Stemple told reporters: “We proudly unveil this high-scale project which is meant to not only meet the needs of the local market but to also be a major competitor in the regional and international markets.

"I am very proud to be part of this project, and I am looking forward to the commencement of our commercial operations. OARC is, without doubt, an Omani brand with international standards.”