State refiner Orpic has begun construction of its $6.5bn Liwa Plastics complex at Sohar, 100km northwest of Muscat. Although initially intended to start up in 2018, the schedule has slipped to 2020.

The plant will process 36,000 b/d of light ends from nearby Sohar refinery and 24,000 b/d of NGLs from Fahud field to produce 1.1mn tons/year of petrochemicals, including 800,000 t/y of polyethylene and 215,000 t/y of polypropylene. (CONTINUED - 292 WORDS)