When Abdulrahman al Yahyaei refers to Oman’s natural gas as a “national asset,” he is not doing so cavalierly. As CEO of the Integrated Gas Company (IGC), he manages the delivery of some 44 billion cubic meters of gas every year, balancing the requirements of more than 140 domestic consumers against those of a rapidly expanding international LNG market. In 2024 alone, the Sultanate shipped 11.4 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas—and still IGC’s slogan is: “Domestic needs come first.”.
Behind Oman’s gas revolution
IGC is no ordinary energy intermediary. Under the leadership of Al Yahyaei, it has introduced Oman’s first-ever live digital auction platform and gas spot market—technology as much a product of Wall Street as the desert. These technologies enable IGC to adjust quickly: when one of Sohar’s petrochemical plants requires additional supply or when international LNG prices surge, the system instantly realigns volumes.
Even more revolutionary is the new Gas Applications Portal, an entirely digitalised system that considers all applications for supply in a green slant. Instead of awarding the most expensive bidder, the IGC scores candidates based on energy efficiency, decarbonisation value, and economic worth. Result? Industries that are dedicated to green hydrogen, carbon capture, or electrification quickly rise to the top of the list.
Powering Duqm’s green frontier
The most newsworthy of the alliances, perhaps, is with Vulcan Green Steel in Duqm. Around 550 km south of Muscat, this state-of-the-art plant will eventually be powered by electricity and locally sourced green hydrogen—once it’s running at full capacity, at least. In the meantime, IGC provides bridging gas, allowing Vulcan to commission its first blast furnace on schedule. A classic case of “just-in-time decarbonization.”
Safely expanding
IGC is taking the lead in Oman’s fourth train of LNG, doubling capacity to 15 million tonnes per year by 2030. But unlike past expansions, no gas is being drawn away from in-country consumers. New onshore discoveries—and IGC’s hub-based contracting strategy—guarantee export aspirations and domestic power requirements thrive hand in hand.
A clean molecule platform
Since its formation in December 2022, IGC has torn down silos of the past and transformed from a straight-up regulator to a high-speed commercial titan. The next test? Smashing barriers into a “clean molecules” platform to support Oman’s Net Zero by 2050 journey.
“Our ambition,” Al Yahyaei goes on, “is that all the molecules we produce fuel the creation of jobs, industrial competitiveness and climate change resilience.” In an age where the region is perhaps most famous for its oil riches, IGC is writing a different story—one in which gas doesn’t just fuel homes and factories but sets us up for a more sustainable tomorrow.
