Duqm Hongtong Pipes Company recently celebrated the ground-breaking of Oman’s first factory for manufacturing reinforced thermopolyethylene (RTP) pipes at the Special Economic Zone of Duqm (SEZD), said a report.

The ceremony was held in the presence of a number of government dignitaries from Oman and China and representatives from shareholders, investors, stakeholders and potential customers, according to the Times of Oman report.

The plant will meet the growing local and international demand for non-metallic pipes that could be used for the oil and gas industry and specifically for the collection and transfer of hydrocarbon fluids through the piping networks, it said.

In the initial stage, the factory’s products will serve the local market, while later these Omani-made products will be supplied to other regional and international markets.

Built over an area of 60,000 sq m, the factory is designed to produce around 1,200 km of RTP annually with the first batch of products expected by the second quarter of 2020.

The final products will be manufactured as per the technical specifications of the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the American Institute of Petroleum.

The yearly production capacity of 1,200 km of RTP can be doubled in the future.