Eng Yousef bin Mohammad al Jahdami, the general manager of the Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries Company, told Oman News Agency that its 230,000 bpd refining project in the country’s south is now 87% complete and is set to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2023. The Duqm company, also called OQ8, is a joint venture between Oman’s OQ and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), which operates in Europe under the Q8 brand.
The refinery, which is estimated to cost more than $8 billion, is initially expected to start operations in early 2022. However, the plan was pushed back due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once operational, the plant will receive crude from both Kuwait (65%) and Oman (35%). Both grades will be stored at the Ras Markaz Oil Storage Park currently under construction in the Duqm Special Economic Zone. According to Jahdhami, the refinery will mainly produce diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, and LPG.
