PDO celebrates 85th foundation anniversary
Muscat - Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) celebrated the 85th anniversary of its foundation in 1937 during its annual PDO Day event held on Thursday.
The occasion is held every year to mark the anniversary of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s historic visit to the company’s Bait Mina al Fahal headquarters in 2013.
The event, which was held under the auspices of H E Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, highlighted the achievements and contributions of staff in both technical and nontechnical fields.
The company also launched a set of commemorative stamps issued by Oman Post marking momentous years in its history, including its establishment in 1937 and the first export of oil 55 years ago in 1967.
Guests and employees viewed a photo exhibition marking PDO’s past, present and future.
On the occasion, H E Aufi said, “As is evident through its very proud history, PDO has played a central role in the development of the sultanate over many decades. It was a pleasure to attend PDO Day which provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on these special milestones of the company and to recognise the talented Omani professionals who were at the forefront of many of these success stories.”
Addressing the gathering,
Steve Phimister, managing director, said, “PDO has an illustrious history and I know we will build on those solid foundations as we enter a new era and capture the opportunities that come with the Energy Transition.
“There is much to celebrate in our history and there are also exciting times ahead, as we leverage technology and our own capabilities to evolve into a fully integrated energy company. In full alignment with Oman Vision 2040, we will grow our core hydrocarbon business and develop new low-carbon value-chains, thereby sustaining our contribution to Oman for decades to come.”
During the event, PDO revealed its 85th anniversary logo to celebrate its continuous development and evolution as it embarks on its decarbonisation journey with greater emphasis on renewables, such as solar and wind.
As part of the festivities, winners of the Chairman’s Award For Excellence and the Dr Abdullah al Lamki Award for Developing Talent (DALTA) were presented.
The Oil North Directorate, Gas Directorate and Project Delivery team won the Gold Technical Award for completing the Yibal Kuff mega project, the most technically complex in PDO history.
The project will provide a major revenue boost for the nation with daily production of 20,000 barrels of oil, 5.4mn m3 of gas and 230 tonnes of sulphur.
The Non-Technical Gold went to the Corporate Planning Directorate for developing and embedding the company’s decarbonisation strategy, which lays out a roadmap for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and halving these by 2030.
Functional maintenance and integrity manager Nasser al Toqi won the DALTA for his work mentoring young colleagues.