UK oil major BP has awarded $4bn-worth of contracts on its Khazzan tight gas development in Oman since gaining approval from Muscat at the end of 2013, according to the company’s country manager.

Dave Campbell, vice-president for operations at BP Oman, said the firm now has two operational rigs at the site and 2,500 people on the block working on building infrastructure, well pads, drilling and constructing the central processing facility (CPF).

“We had one rig running last year, now we have two operational rigs and a third rig about to spud,” said Campbell, speaking at a press conference at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) in Abu Dhabi on 11 November. “We have another three more rigs on the way in the next six months.”

BP awarded a $1.2bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on the CPF to a consortium of the UK’s Petrofac and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) in February.

The company has also tendered several major pipeline packages, which are expected to be awarded in 2015.