OQ8, the joint venture between Omani state energy firm OQ and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), operates a 255,000 b/d refinery in Duqm that came online in 2023. The next planned step is to integrate petrochemicals units into the refinery to move further up the value chain.
The partners aim to integrate facilities to process naphtha and LPG into polyethylene, ethylene glycol and polypropylene. They had hoped to draw on the expertise of Saudi petrochemicals giant Sabic for the project, signing a project development agreement with the company in 2022 to assess building a steam cracker, derivative units and a natural gas liquid extraction facility (MEES, 6 January 2023). (CONTINUED - 887 WORDS)
