| Orpic polypropylene output hits 1m tonnes |
SOHAR Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) on Saturday said that its production of world class high quality polypropylene homopolymer at Sohar plant has crossed 1 million tonnes.
This is a significant milestone for the polypropylene plant in Sohar, which began production in October 2006.
The Sohar facility is the only polypropylene manufacturing unit in the Sultanate and is part of the country’s vision to develop downstream petrochemical products. Orpic’s refinery at Sohar is the main supplier of feedstock for polypropylene production, a key part in building the domestic integrated petrochemicals industry.
Khalid Al Gaithi, operation engineer at the poly propylene plant, said: “This was a proud moment for all in the PP plant as it achieves the main aim behind the economic ventures; thanks to the team spirit of all employees.
Orpic exports its polypropylene products to markets in the UAE, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other countries in the Middle East. Part of the production is marketed in the local market.
Orpic sells polypropylene under the brand name Luban and it is marketed in 14 different grades, from fine powder to pellets.
Luban is the main component in the plastics production process. Luban is used to manufacture plastic chairs, tables, mats, carpets, packaging for snack foods, bread and food grains, ropes, caps and closures and strapping material.
Earlier, Orpic had achieved one full year of supplying the Sultanate’s 100 per cent energy requirements. The company utilised its maximum capacity and boosted performance at its refineries at Sohar and Mina Al Fahal to meet energy needs of the local market. The company’s performance has helped reduce the Sultanate’s expensive energy imports. June 2011 was the first full month of zero per cent fuel imports.
The project for the expansion of the Sohar Refinery is underway and the target is to complete the project by 2016.
During 2010, the Sultanate was required to import more than 5 million barrels of fuels. In 2011, this figure was reduced to 1 million barrels as Orpic achieved record production levels at its refineries. The company is aiming for zero imports during the whole of 2012 despite double digit year-on-year growth rate of the fuel consumption in the Sultanate.
Orpic was established from the integration of Sohar and Mina Al Fahal refineries, in addition to petrochemical aromatics and polypropylene plants in a process that began just over two years ago.
Since that, an important goal for the business has been to eliminate the need for expensive petrol and diesel imports. Orpic achieved operating profits of 150 million rials ($400 million) in 2011, a record performance, which represented an increase of $450 million when compared to 2010 results. Each of its four plants, in Sohar and Mina Al Fahal, reached record production levels.
Oman News Agency
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