MUSCAT: Mazoon Electricity Company (member of Nama Group) participated in the 23rd Gulf Engineering Forum at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Al Bustan Palace from March 20 to 22, 2022, under the theme “Engineer and Disaster Challenges”, hosted by Oman represented by the Oman Society of Engineers, in collaboration with the Gulf Engineering Union.
The forum touched on the importance of the role of engineers and specialists in the field of crisis management related to the challenges associated with disasters and ways to prevent them, through the latest technologies, plans and procedures that reduce damage caused by disasters and crises.
The forum is an important opportunity to enhance local and international engineering knowledge, share experiences among participants, discuss future issues, enrich engineering ideas, and discuss best engineering practices related to disasters.
The forum’s theme entitled “Engineer and Disaster Challenges” was due to the importance of this topic as Oman experiencing natural disasters, particularly cyclones and floods resulting from the running of valleys because of Oman’s position in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula and its view of the Arabian Sea, making it one of the areas affected by such natural disasters, in addition disasters classified as technological or social disasters.
Three engineers from Mazoon Electricity Company, Engineer Khalfan bin Naser al Burtamani (Senior Manager Regulatory & Corporate Affairs), Engineer Aza bint Hamed al Maamari (Senior Analyst Risk Management & BCM) and Engineer Mohammed bin Saif al Wardi (Specialist Risk Management), participated in the forum, where they reviewed the experience of Mazoon Electricity Company in risk management (Corona pandemic as case study), and the other paper discussed the company’s experience in managing the business continuity plan during crises (cyclone Shaheen as case study).
Through the two papers, Mazoon Electricity’s engineers discussed crisis management plans at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and the company’s precautionary measures to prevent infection among employees. The other paper presented the company’s plan for business continuity during the crises and addressed the implementation of the plan during cyclone Shaheen and its effects on the electricity network performance in areas affected by the cyclone. The paper addressed the company’s preparedness for such crises and the lessons learned for review and development. The papers also clarified the importance of adopting best practices in risk management and business continuity to maintain the level of services provided by service companies under exceptional circumstances.