THE Sohar refinery expansion project has made headway with leading contractors expected to be invited soon to prequalify for the project.

Officials said the Tender Board will shortly float a request for qualifications (RfQ) inviting bidders to submit their credentials as part of a prequalification process for a contract to upgrade and expand Oman’s flagship refinery at Sohar.
The RfQ will aim to shortlist bidders with proven experience and expertise in the construction of major refinery and petrochemical plants.

The expansion and modernisation of Sohar Refinery is set to be one of the biggest engineering construction projects the sultanate is currently embarking on. Estimated to cost $1.5 billion, the project is expected to position Oman as a regional heavyweight in the pivotal refining and petrochemicals sector, which is a mandate of the newly-restructured Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries (OmanOil RPI), a majority government-owned entity that manages Sohar Refinery.

The expansion and modernisation of Sohar Refinery envisages an upscaling of the plant’s design capacity from the present 116,400 barrels per stream day (bpsd) to 187,774 bpsd. In addition, several new units will be added and integrated into the existing refinery complex. They include a 71,500 barrels per day (bpd) crude distillation unit, 96,800 bpd vacuum distillation unit, 66,400 bpd once-through hydrocracker unit, 42,400 bpd solvent de-asphalting unit, sulphur recovery unit, sour water stripper units, amine regeneration unit, and isomerisation unit, among other systems.