Kunooz Gypsum is wholly owned subsidiary of Kunooz Oman Holding, the company is based in Salalah and has been granted mining leases to carry out exploration and gypsum open pit mining near Raweya, 75Kms from Salalah on the Thrumrait Road. The first mining lease was obtained in 2007 and the ground work commenced in May 2010. Formal mining operations started from October 2010 and the first export shipment in January, 2011. The rights for a second mining lease was acquired through acquisition in 2011 and merged with the company’s first lease on 1st January 2014. Gypsum exports have risen from 0.5MT in 2011 to plus 2MT in 2015 matching mine production of 2.3MT/year.
The company exports its sized products to customers from India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Australia, UAE, Eastern and Southern Africa.
The construction sector is the main end user of the gypsum, primarily to produce POP and plaster boards. The outlook is positive, with demand from India and Asia is predicted to grow.
The company currently has two mining areas with a total surface area of 55 ha, and gypsum layers extending to a depth of 50m. In the process of acquiring additional mining areas. Over US $ 20 Million investment to date. In 2017 investing US $ 3 Million in Load and Haul Plant to further increase efficiency.