An agreement has been signed by two Omani entities as an important initiative in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Sultanate of Oman in line with ministerial decision No. 30/2010 issued by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs.

OQ Trading (OQT), the international energy and commodity trading arm of the Government of Oman, and the Oman Environmental Service Holding Company (be’ah) signed a cooperation agreement for the development of projects in relation to emission reduction within the waste management industry in the Sultanate.

Greenhouse gas reduction forms an important part of be'ah's objective to structure the waste management sector and its related services in a sustainable manner. The framework resulting from the cooperation agreement allows OQT to work collaboratively with be’ah to identify and develop projects which adhere to international emission reduction standards.

OQT has been at the forefront of Omani emissions efforts, having developed the first Omani carbon project in 2012 in conjunction with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals with the successful registration of the Sultanate’s first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project. The Certified Emission Reduction (CERs) credits issued by the project, alongside other Voluntary Emission Reduction (VERs) credits from projects that followed, have been successfully marketed to end-buyers – utilising OQT’s understanding of carbon project development, energy pricing and international markets.

Together, OQT and be’ah will be exploring multiple opportunities for projects within waste management and waste-to-energy that will aid Oman’s decarbonisation and climate goals. Through their engagement to date, some potential areas which have already been identified include biogas and methane reduction projects through rehabilitation of landfills, as well as exploring the possibilities of various crediting systems related to recycling.

The partnership will enable the delivery of efficient and environmentally sustainable services within the waste management sector in Oman, with sound economical returns for the Sultanate by playing a role in serving the compliance and voluntary carbon markets internationally.