MUSCAT -- Oman Gas Company, the Sultanate's supplier of natural gas to industry and public utilities, announced a further year-on-year increase of supply this month. Maryam al Kindy, Head of Gas Control at OGC, confirmed that peak delivery has risen to 42.6 million standard cubic metres per day, a rise of 10 per cent than the previous year.
The increase in demand has come from both the private and public sectors, with companies such as Oman Methanol Company, Dhofar Power Company and Barka Power Plant II stepping up their output with a commensurate rise in their requirements, to serve industry and the public. Salalah Methanol Company has also begun operations, adding its name to the long list of OGC's customers, all with vital economic importance to the Sultanate.
Abdulaziz al Mujaibi, General Manager of Operations, explained some of the efforts made by OGC to make an increase in supply available over the year: "We have invested rapidly in expanding the network, with larger or parallel pipelines between Seih Rawl and Nimr, and from Murayrat to Ghubra. And of course increasing our supply to customers means taking more from our suppliers. We have had to work hard to meet the challenge, but that's what we are here for -- a lot of people depend on our maintaining availability at all times".
"The most important thing is ensuring the quality of supply to the end user, monitoring for example levels of H2S [hydrogen sulphide] which can be high in natural gas, but damaging to the customer's operations, and dangerous. We make sure the end product is right, and maintain the relationships with suppliers to ensure that consistent quality", Maryam explained.
In terms of human resources at the OGC, Yousef al Ojaily, CEO, Oman Gas Company, emphasised the point: "To be the best you have to take the best skills available, wherever they come from internationally. But we have reached a stage now in terms of knowledge and technology transfer, where over 91 per cent of jobs at OGC and every senior management position are filled by qualified, skilled Omani nationals. We are growing quickly, as this increase in delivery shows the country needs us to grow with it.
Being able to do that with a largely local workforce is a big achievement. I am very proud of the team we have been able to develop at OGC."
By Staff Reporter
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
