Orpic bags MEED ‘National Project of the Year’ award for SRIP

Times News Service

MUSCAT: In recognition of the state-of-the-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, and recognised 19 GCC winners.

“The MEED Projects Awards are a leading stamp of quality and achievement for anyone operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) projects sector. They not only recognise the construction element of project delivery but also consider the value and quality of a project throughout its entire life cycle. 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”, said R. P. Singh, General Manager of SRIP.

“SRIP is a multibillion-dollar capital investment for Orpic delivered in response to the need to upgrade Orpic’s refining capability to further maximise 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 added 82,000 barrels a day (bpd) to its existing capacity of 116,000bpd — taking the total capacity to 198,000bpd. This indicates a 70 per cent growth in fuel production — 90 per cent for diesel, 37 per cent for gasoline, 93 per cent for kerosene, 93 per cent for jet fuel, 91 per cent for LPG, 175 per cent for naphtha and 44 per cent for propylene.

Environmental performance

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.