His Excellency Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Oil and Gas, today launched the BG Energy Challenge 2009 – Oman. The challenge is an annual fundraising and industry networking event sponsored by BG Oman, a subsidiary of the UK-based BG Group plc. BG Oman is working together with Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman’s leading adventure tourism specialists, to organise the event.

The 2009 event will raise money for the Al Noor Association for the Blind and will enable the Association to provide permanent premises for the blind community of the Dakhiliya and Dhahira regions. These premises will feature, workshop for handwork, training rooms including a Braille educational room and IT lab. They will also feature functional and recreation areas including a library, offices and gym.

The inaugural BG Energy Challenge 2007 - Oman raised RO 100,000 for the National Association of Cancer Awareness. The 2008 event involved 150 participants from 25 teams and raised a record breaking RO120, 000 for the Association of Early Intervention for Children with Special Needs. The money raised at the last event has funded additional services for at-risk or disabled children.

Participation in the 2009 event is open to companies and organisations associated with the energy industry. Corporate teams of four to six employees will endure a series of challenges set in the mountains and on the khawrs, beaches and dunes of Qurayyat.

Prior to the BG Energy Challenge event, the first challenge facing participants is to raise a minimum of RO 2,500 per team through their own fundraising events. All funds raised by the teams will go directly to the Al Noor Association for the Blind.

"BG Group seeks to support social and economic development in the communities where it does business by providing structured funding for community initiatives that match its skills transfer theme. We are delighted to help the Al Noor Association so they can provide more of their essential services to the blind and their families in the Sultanate.” said Dr Arshad Sufi, VP Middle East, BG Group.

The BG Energy Challenge 2009 - Oman, takes place on 25-27 February. For further information please visit www.bg-energychallenge.com or contact challenge.oman@bg-group.com or call +968 24 485 663.

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Notes to Editors:

About BG Group:
BG Group plc (LSE: BG.L) is a world leader in natural gas, with a strategy focused on connecting competitively-priced resources to specific, high-value markets. Active in 27 countries on five continents, BG Group has a broad portfolio of exploration and production, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), transmission and distribution and power generation business interests. For more information, visit www.bg-group.com

BG Group’s sponsorship portfolio is called Energy for life. The BG Energy Challenge series is one of three sponsorships that make up the Energy for life portfolio. For further information visit www.bg-group.com/sponsorship

About the BG Energy Challenge:
The BG Energy Challenge is an annual test of teamwork, skill and commitment, drawing support from a wide variety of companies in the energy sector and raising substantial funds for charity. Since 1996, worldwide BG Energy Challenges have contributed over £4 million (US$7.2) million to charity. For further information, visit www.bg-energychallenge.com

About the Al Noor Association for the Blind:
The Al Noor Association for the Blind was registered as a non Government organisation NGO in October 1997 via Ministerial Decree No. 97/77 to serve the Blind in Oman. All activities and programs are funded by private sector donations. The Sultanate of Oman, according to the 2003 census, has approximately 11,000 blind people. Around half of the blind population are elderly and the remainder are of school and working age. The Association provides computer and Braille education training and facilities including a library, gym, IT laboratory, meeting rooms and social areas. Al Noor is an active committee member of the World Blind Union and the Asian Blind Union and regularly participates in their conferences, workshops and seminars. Members of Al Noor participate in various sports and educational competitions both within and outside the Middle East. The Association has hosted, on behalf of Asian Blind Union, regional conferences, seminars and workshops.

Major projects currently underway include:

• Development of a low vision resource centre
• Training a Ministry of Health MOH ophthalmologist to perform cataract surgery in India
• Restoring eye sight for 25 Omani children in India.
• Installation of diabetic eye screening machines in Ibri regional hospital
• Provision of hearing aids for children with multiple disabilities.
  

For further information, visit www.alnoor4blind.org.om

About Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre:
Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre is a registered tourism company that constantly strives to provide a new and unique experience for visitors to Oman. It is proactive in running an environmentally-sound business and provides responsible and sustainable tourism, utilising the local labour and resources of the areas in which they operate. As a member of the advisory committee to the Ministry of Tourism, Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre is at the forefront of the industry and best placed to help ensure good practice is adopted across the board and high standards maintained. For further information, visit www.holiday-in-oman.com