OMAN LNG is the single largest industrial project ever undertaken in the country.

As such, it is providing vital contributions to national revenue, as well as providing trickle-down opportunities to local contractors and service suppliers and being a leading employer of Omani nationals. Current levels are almost 60 per cent Omanis out of a total workforce of around 400.

Development of employees is a key strategic objective for Oman LNG. Indeed, the company says it is committed to employing a competent, professional and highly motivated workforce of mainly Omani nationals.

Hi-tech Oman LNG has put in place a number of training schemes for Omanis. In the pre-operation phase, Oman LNG committed RO6 million ($15.6 million) to training and development. Last year, the company spent an estimated RO1.5 million on training. The planned budget allocated for training this year and next is, according to the company, a total of around RO2.12 million.

But in being a major manufacturing industry, Oman LNG is also obliged to balance its corporate needs with the needs of the wider community.

Wellbeing of Omani citizens is a key aspect of Oman LNG's community programmes, be they through education or donation.

Indeed, the company has, according to chief executive and general manager Agnus Cassens, developed one of the most comprehensive social investment programmes of any industry in Oman. This is out of a sense of duty to the community in which it operates.

Oman LNG has, since the entire project was established in 1996, spent more than $55 million on community assistance programmes. Its Community Fund - in which one per cent of the company's net income after tax is ploughed into community schemes - has had a major impact and could, says Cassens, be a role model for other businesses in the country.

Oman LNG has contributed in health awareness and youth welfare schemes, programmes to help preserve the environment and Oman's rich heritage, in addition to cultural events and safety schemes.

Through its Grants and Donations programme, Oman LNG says it has been able to help worthy causes throughout the country. For example, it donated 12 state-of-the-art computers to the Oman Association for the Disabled and has provided sun shades for fishermen in Sur.

Oman LNG is a major supporter of the Shell-funded Intilaaqah business enterprise programme, which assists in the training of Omanis and the setting up of their own businesses. Intilaaqah was brought to Oman by Shell on the country's 25th National Day, and now Oman LNG funds and supports the scheme in the Sur region.

The largest contribution made by Oman LNG to its neighbours is in the health sector. The company contributed RO18 million to the building and equipping of the Sur General Hospital, which today boasts some of the most modern and comprehensive medical facilities in the Sultanate.

Every employee at Oman LNG is committed to the company's community assistance efforts, according to Cassens.

These development projects will continue to be a prime focus area and the motivation for all employees to put in their best, according to another official.

In addition to providing vital assistance to communities in the country, Oman LNG has also been, from the start, proactive in its attitude towards the environment to ensure that these communities live in a healthy natural environment. Before the construction of the plant, for example, a Preliminary Environmental Assessment was commissioned to assess the impact of the project on the surroundings. Wherever there could have been significant impact, the design of the plant was altered or measures put in place to reduce the impact.

As well as the marine environment, Oman LNG has placed great emphasis on preservation of the Sultanate's rich history. An archaeological field study was conducted at an early stage to investigate excavation on selected sites to ensure that no artefacts would be destroyed during construction.