Oman for the past two decades has been pursuing the development of an industrial hub in its southern port city of Salalah. Back in 2002, it completed a 700km 24-inch gas pipeline intended to promote gas-fed industrial projects (MEES, 26 August 2002). Two decades later, a fully-fledged industrial hub is developing in the Salalah Free Zone.
The leading company in the port city is OQ Base Industries (OQBI), a subsidiary of state energy firm OQ whose key focus is extracting maximum value from the sultanate’s gas output. OQBI’s facilities, all of which are in Salalah, have expanded rapidly in recent years. An initial methanol plant was followed by a gas processing plant in 2021 and an ammonia plant which started up in 2022 and hit full capacity in 2023 (see graphic). With three plants up and running, and 49% of OQBI being floated in an IPO (MEES, 22 November), OQBI remains focused on capitalizing on Oman’s growing gas output. (CONTINUED - 748 WORDS)
