Tuesday 31 / March / 2026
Muscat: The Public Services Regulation Authority (APSR) has announced plans to double compensation for subscribers in cases where service providers repeatedly fail to meet required service standards. This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen consumer protection and improve service quality across the Sultanate. During a media briefing, the Authority's Chairman emphasized that stricter standards and a comprehensive regulatory framework are being implemented to define the roles of policymakers, regulators, and operators more clearly, ensuring better governance and efficiency.
Performance indicators from 2021 to 2025 reflect Oman's rapid economic and urban expansion. The water and wastewater sector saw a 13 percent increase in consumption and a 12 percent rise in subscribers, while the electricity sector experienced a 14 percent growth in its subscriber base and a 27 percent jump in consumption. Significant progress was also noted in the renewable energy sector, which accounted for 9.46 percent of total electricity production by the end of 2025, up from just 1.95 percent in 2021. This capacity is now sufficient to supply approximately 155,000 homes.
Digital transformation has reached a milestone with 100 percent digitization of APSR services. Smart meter adoption has hit 99 percent in the water sector and 80 percent in electricity, ensuring high accuracy in actual meter readings. Consumer protection has also improved through digital platforms like “Tajawab” and “Hasel,” which handled over 7,000 complaints in 2025. This resulted in OMR 153,000 in compensation paid to over 9,000 subscribers, helping push overall customer satisfaction to 75 percent.
The utility sector is also contributing heavily to the national economy and employment. Omanization rates have reached 98.55 percent in sector companies, with 2,050 new jobs created in 2025 alone. Furthermore, the Authority confirmed that spending on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) increased by 80 percent to reach OMR 119 million, while local added value contributions grew by 35 percent to OMR 50 million. These efforts reflect a commitment to both high service standards and robust local economic growth.
