Oman’s LPG output nears record 1-million tonne mark in 2023
Production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — also known as cooking gas — soared to 990,000 metric tonnes in 2023, strengthening Oman’s positioning as an important producer and exporter of LPG in the region.
In contrast, LPG production a year earlier stood at 874,000 metric tonnes. Fuelling the uptick in LPG output was the launch early in 2022 of OQ LPG, a first-of-its-kind plant wholly dedicated to LPG production.
Built with an investment of $318 million, the wholly-owned subsidiary of OQ Group boasts a capacity of around 300,000 metric tonnes per day.
Significantly, around 910,000 metric tonnes — representing 92 per cent of the country’s total LPG production — came from facilities and owned and operated by OQ Group.
These facilities comprise the Mina Al Fahal Refinery and Sohar Refinery of Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries (an OQ affiliate) and OQ LPG in Salalah.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the remaining 8 per cent came from three other sources: Musandam Oil & Gas Company producing around 7,000 metric tonnes from its Bukha and West Bukha fields (equivalent to about 1 per cent of the total); Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), which contributed around 20,000 metric tonnes from its Saih Rawl fields (about 2 per cent), and
Daleel Petroleum with 53,000 metric tonnes from its Wadi Aswad field (about 5 per cent).
The biggest single source of LPG was Sohar Refinery with a 56-per cent share (558,000 metric tonnes), followed by OQ LPG with 293,000 metric tonnes (30 per cent) and Mina Al Fahal Refinery with 59,000 metric tonnes (6 per cent).
Notably, LPG accounted for just 3 per cent (by volume) of the petroleum products churned out by facilities operated by Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries, totalling around 224 million barrels, last year.
Diesel, with a 14-per cent share, was the largest petroleum product (equivalent to 32 million barrels), followed by Mogas 91 (7 per cent), Long Residue (7 per cent), Naphtha (7 per cent), Mogas 95 (5 per cent), and Aviation Fuel (4 per cent).