Duqm Refinery and Petrochemicals Industries Company (DRPIC) has awarded the front-end engineering design (Feed) work of its petrochemicals complex to Wood UK. 

The Feed services include also the NGL (natural gas liquids) extraction facility in central Oman and the 230-km pipeline from concession areas to the petrochemicals complex in Duqm that falls under Oman Oil Company’s and Orpic’s scope.

Technology selection and award of the multiple licensed units for the petrochemical complex will complete in the early stage of Feed.

Dr Salim Al Huthaili, chief executive officer of DRPIC, said: “The award of Feed contracts came after a rigorous competitive tendering process. This key milestone enables Duqm Refinery to maximise the value of the refinery products and enhance its market competitiveness. This project is our further contribution to the Omani economy and will allow us to deliver against our strategic objective to ensure a sustainable and economic prosperity for both Oman and our shareholders.”

The Duqm Petrochemical Project (DPP) is the second stage of the integrated refinery and petrochemical complex planned by Duqm Refinery which comes as part of the strategic partnership between Oman Oil Company and Kuwait Petroleum International. The project will be located in the Special Economic Zone in Duqm (Sezad) exploiting the infrastructure and facilities in the zone.

Construction work of the Duqm Refinery project is progressing steadily across all three engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages with project progress estimated at nearly 20 per cent complete, it added. 

Oman Oil and Orpic will take lead in developing the NGL extraction unit and required pipeline.  The NGL plant will be located in the concession areas in central Oman and connected with OGC’s gas network. A pipeline will be constructed to transport NGL stream from the NGL extraction plant to the petrochemical complex.

At the centre of the  project is a mixed-feed steam cracker with a capacity of 1,600 KTPA (kilo-tonnes per annum) ethylene processing selected from Duqm Refinery product streams; liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), Full Range Naphtha (FRN), off gases and natural gas liquids extracted from natural gas available in central Oman.

The project proposes to produce new products for the first time in Oman such as ethylene glycols, oxo chemicals, butadiene and increase the diversity of the petrochemical portfolio in Oman.