In recognition of the state-of-art development and completion of the Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP), the nation’s refining and petrochemicals flagship – Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company – Orpic, has received the ‘National Project of the Year’ award at the MEED Projects Awards 2018.

The MEED Projects Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony held at the Westin Mina Seyahi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and recognized 19 GCC winners.

“The MEED Projects Awards are a leading stamp of quality and achievement for anyone operating in the GCC projects sector; as they not only recognize the construction element of project delivery but also consider the value and quality of a project throughout its entire life cycle. The winning of this award is testimony to Orpic’s continuous efforts and contribution to the nation, and is an outcome of the concerted efforts of our highly experienced and dedicated team. It is noteworthy that 14,000 employees worked collectively at the peak of the SRIP”, elucidated R. P. Singh, General Manager of SRIP.

“SRIP is a multibillion-dollar capital investment for Orpic, that has been delivered in response to the need to upgrade Orpic’s refining capability in order to further maximize the value of Omani crude oil and guarantee that the Sultanate’s increasing demand for fuel is met.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank MEED for this recognition and the whole SRIP team behind this achievement”, he added.

Through SRIP, the Sohar Refinery has added 82,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its existing capacity of 116,000bpd – taking the total capacity to 198,000bpd. This indicates a 70 percent growth in fuel production – 90 percent for diesel, 37 percent for gasoline, 93 percent for kerosene, 93 percent for jet fuel, 91 percent for LPG, 175 percent for naphtha and 44 percent for propylene.

Significantly improving Orpic’s environmental performance – SRIP helps fully meet the feedstock requirements of Orpic’s adjoining polypropylene plant, and a substantial proportion of the raw material needs of its aromatics plant.

That’s not all – SRIP enables Sohar Refinery to cope with unforeseen changes in crude oil quality, demonstrating its importance at a national level in enhancing the extracted value from an oil barrel. Aside from its immediate commercial benefits, SRIP also has an impact on other important areas of national economic development such as – ICV creation, employment generation, and SME support.