CONSTRUCTION work on the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production site remains on target as Octal Petrochemicals’ third and fourth manufacturing facilities take shape on an area of 24 acres at the Salalah Free Zone in Oman.

The $200-million expansion will position the sultanate as a world-class producer of PET resin and sheet that will cater to the European, American and Asian markets, which Octal currently serves.

The plant, comprising two production lines with a capacity of 750 tonnes per day, employs cutting-edge PET technology. Scheduled for completion in May 2012, the plant will add 527,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of PET bottle grade resin to Octal’s current capacity to reach 927,000 tpy, making it the largest in the world on one site.

"This is no ordinary undertaking. We are able to harness our strategic location and favourable trading regulations with our unique manufacturing capabilities to meet the breadth and depth of customer demand by supplying uniform high-quality product at exceptionally competitive rates with minimal environmental impact," said Octal’s chairman Sheikh Saad Suhail Bahwan.

"The total investment of $1.5 billion will establish Octal as the recognised leader in PET and the industry reference for superior product quality and performance,"?he added.

Bahwan said that PET is becoming the unanimous choice for reliable, clear rigid packaging with a wide range of applications for foods, liquids, consumer and industrial products. In less than two decades, global PET bottle sales have increased from one million tonnes to more than 15 million tonnes.

The plant is being built in accordance with British safety standards, which have been approved by local regulators and government authorities, and has been designed to yield the lowest carbon footprint products.

Through the application of pioneering technologies, Octal has already set new global benchmarks for both product and environmental excellence and currently uses 67 per cent less electricity to manufacture DPET sheet and 38 per cent less energy for resin.

In addition, 80 per cent of water used in the purpose-designed production facility is reused and all of Octal’s energy needs are derived from clean burning natural gas with its on-site high-efficiency burners consuming up to 20 per cent less gas than traditional PET plants.

The integrated facility also has the ability to recycle trim waste during the manufacturing process and offers customers various recycling options.