State-owned Minerals Development Oman has awarded China’s Hongda International a 10-year contract worth more than €370 million for mining services at the Mazoon Copper Project in Yanqul, Oman. The contract covers ore extraction, waste removal, handling and transport to the concentrator, bringing Chinese operating capacity together with European processing technology for a new source of copper supply.
The agreement was signed during an Oman-China investment forum in Beijing on 2 November. Mazoon is Oman’s largest integrated copper-concentrate development and is designed to process 2.5 million tonnes of ore a year, according to Minerals Development Oman.
The project is targeted to produce about 115,000 tonnes of copper concentrate annually, with copper content of around 21.5%. Reported reserves stand at about 23.4 million tonnes. Pre-stripping began in September 2026, and commercial production is targeted for 2027.
European processing equipment
Finland’s Metso is supplying key equipment for the plant under an order previously valued at about €27 million. Its package covers crushing, grinding, flotation, thickening, classification and filtration. It also includes online particle-size and elemental analysers intended to improve recovery and reduce waste.
The project combines Chinese mining-operating capacity with European processing technology. Chinese contractors are expanding their role in mine development and operations across the Middle East, while European suppliers remain strong in high-value processing equipment. European involvement in strategic projects can also come through process technology, automation, engineering and maintenance, even when the owner or operator is not European.
Supply and execution
No major European offtake agreement for Mazoon has been publicly confirmed. New concentrate supply is relevant to European copper consumers as demand rises with grid reinforcement, electric vehicles, renewable energy, data centres and defence spending. Mine development timelines remain long, and global concentrate markets have been tight.
Oman’s ports outside the Strait of Hormuz can connect Middle Eastern production with Asian and European markets, although Mazoon is primarily a copper-concentrate project. Its sales will depend on treatment charges and smelter demand, which are volatile as global smelting capacity and mine supply move out of balance.
Mazoon still needs to complete construction, ramp up mining and achieve its design recovery. The project illustrates that competition to secure copper spans deposits, finance, operating capability, processing technology and long-term market access.
