GCC winner: Mashreq Oil & Gas Project of the Year - Oman

15 May 2013

Octal petrochemicals expansion phase

Entrant: Faithful + Gould
Project owner: Octal Petrochemicals
Project manager: Faithful + Gould
Project contractor: China CMIIC Engineering & Construction/Larsen & Toubro Electromech
Engineering consultant: Uhde Inventa-Fischer
Architect: Atkins

Description: Oman’s oil and gas reserves, although currently plentiful, are expected to deplete more quickly than those of its neighbours, and diversification of the economy is therefore a priority for the sultanate’s government. Muscat has been quick to develop the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) industry as part of a wider push to increase petrochemicals output.

Octal has created a purpose-designed production facility that exceeds environmental standards and is significantly more efficient than conventional virgin PET sheet and resin plants. As part of its expansion, the plant’s two new lines use Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s Melt-To-Resin technology, which offers improved processability at reduced conversion costs, as well as direct casting of sheets for thermoforming.

The PET facility is the first fully dedicated to PET production from resin melt to sheet. This is in contrast to the traditional model, where resin primarily engineered for bottles may also be used for thermoformed sheets.

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