DUQM: The refinery project of Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries (OQ8), currently nearing completion in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD), is set to boost the Sultanate of Oman’s aggregate refining capacity to around 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude.
Work on the project is now 98 per cent complete, with a trial run having covered over 65 per cent of the project facilities.
The trial operation includes testing the readiness of the refinery facilities, which includes three packages, the first of which deals with the main processing units of the refinery. The second package consists of facilities and services supporting operations, and the third package includes storage and export facilities for liquid and bulk petroleum materials in the Port of Duqm and private crude oil storage facilities.
During the past months, Ras Markaz Crude Oil Terminal received more than 3 million barrels of Omani and Kuwaiti crude oil, which were later pumped from Ras Markaz to the refinery complex in Duqm through an 80-kilometer crude oil pipeline.
The trial operations also included the export of the first shipments of naphtha through the storage and export berth in the Port of Duqm. Naphtha is one of the main products of the refinery for export to global markets. Other products that will be eventually produced for export include diesel, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas and other energy products.
The project is distinguished by Duqm’s strategic location at the crossroads of global trade lines, which will contribute to promoting the export of Omani and Kuwaiti energy products to global markets. The project is also one of the largest investment projects in the refinery and petrochemical sector between two Gulf countries.
The project contributed to supporting the local added value in Oman, as 20 per cent of the project value was allocated to support local small and medium enterprises, with a total amount of $2 billion.
The Duqm Refinery project — a joint strategic project between Oman and Kuwait— after its completion, will provide the economies of the countries with financial resources that will contribute to the consolidation of ties and the promotion of prosperity for the two countries. — ONA
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