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The Omani government has announced that majority state-owned Oman LNG will build a new train at its Qalhat liquefied natural gas (LNG) production complex in Sur, located in the sultanate’s South Al-Sharqiyah governorate.

The LNG train will have an output capacity of 3.8 million tonnes a year (t/y). When commissioned in 2029, it will increase Oman LNG’s total production capacity to 15.2 million t/y.

Oman LNG will perform the preliminary engineering study for the planned LNG train.

This will be the fourth LNG train at the Qalhat LNG complex. Oman LNG presently operates three trains at its site in Qalhat, with a nameplate capacity of 10.4 million t/y. Due to debottlenecking, the company’s production capacity eventually increased to about 11.4 million t/y.

Oman LNG is a joint venture of the sultanate’s Energy & Minerals Ministry, which holds the majority 51% stake, and foreign stakeholders.

The remaining 49% is held by UK-based Shell (30%); France’s TotalEnergies (5.54%); South Korea’s Korea LNG (5%); Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation (2.77%); Japan’s Mitsui & Company (2.77%); Thailand’s PTTEP, following the acquisition of Portuguese firm Partex (2%); and Japan’s Itochu Corporation (0.92%).

Oman LNG secured $2bn-worth of project financing in 1997 to set up its first LNG export terminal in the sultanate, the Qalhat LNG terminal, which was commissioned in 2000.

From 1 September 2013, Qalhat LNG was integrated with Oman LNG to form a single entity.

The terminal exports gas produced by state oil and gas producer Petroleum Development Oman from its central Oman gas field complex. Oman LNG’s customers are mainly based in Asia, although the company has been expanding its client base outside the continent in recent months.

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