In February this year, Dr Omar Zawawi of the Omzest group and Rahul Amin of Jyoti Limited of India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a facility, known as Jyoti Sohar Switchgear, to assemble switchgear in Oman.

A series of developments have followed including the readying a built-up factory unit at Sohar to assemble 11 kV metal-clad switchgear with draw-out vacuum circuit breakers for various electromechanical projects in the Sultanate.

''In May this year, a five-panel unit was sent for type-testing at Kema of the Netherlands to certify that the panels conform to the relevant standards,'' says Kamlesh Mehta, manager of Jyoti Sohar Switchgear.

He continues: ''At the first instance, all panels were type-tested and we have received a provisional type-test certificate. We are now awaiting approval for our products from the Ministry of Electricity's product approval committee, after which we can market them in Oman.''

Jyoti Sohar Switchgear will have a capacity to manufacture 500 panels per year initially targeting the Omani market and then the GCC countries.

''The heart of the switchgear - the vacuum circuit breaker - is imported from Jyoti Limited, India, where it is manufactured under technical collaboration with Toshiba Corporation, Japan, a world leader in vacuum technology,'' says Mehta.

The facility was expected to be inaugurated last month (November).

The company also has long-term plans to exhibit at the Hanover exhibition in Germany next year and Middle East Electricity 2002 in Dubai.

Parent firm Jyoti Limited, a leader in medium voltage switchgear technology in India for almost five decades, has been represented in Oman since 1991 and has contributed to a number of projects in the Sultanate over the period.