Muscat - The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the planned 230km-long gas pipeline to transport natural gas from the Saih Nihayda field in central Oman to the special economic zone in Duqm will be awarded by the end of 2014, according to the chief executive officer of Oman Gas Co (OGC).
Speaking to Muscat Daily on the sidelines of the Gas Arabia Summit on Monday, Yousuf al Ojaili said the project has received various approvals and the front-end engineering design (FEED) work has been completed.
"The gas pipeline project is in progress. We are carrying out technical evaluations for the supply of pipes and the pipes will be delivered soon after. We expect the EPC contract to be awarded by the end of 2014. The project is expected to be completed in 2017, around the same time the Duqm refinery will be ready. We will be ready to supply gas to Duqm by that time," Ojaili said.
The Duqm gas pipeline, operated by OGC, will link the Saih Nihayda gas field to the Duqm economic zone. The 36" diameter pipeline will have the capacity to carry 25mn m3 of gas per day to fuel Duqm's future industrial and power-generation needs.
The sultanate's gas production has averaged 103mn m3 per day this year and this will increase to 113mn m3 per day in 2014, according to H E Nasser al Jashmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.
Speaking at the Gas Arabia Summit, H E Jashmi said, "Most of the gas output is being carried to our consumers by our midstream transportation operator, OGC, which has been tasked with the role of linking our producers and consumers since 2000."
H E Jashmi said that the Ministry of Oil and Gas (MOG) will support OGC in a number of value-chain opportunities aimed at extracting valuable components from natural gas without impacting sales agreements.
"The government will continue to support the development of the economic zone at Duqm, with plans for the gas pipeline already in execution stage and the ministry's commitment made for initial gas volumes to support this important development," H E Jashmi added.
© Muscat Daily 2013
