Oman’s multibillion-dollar Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex will receive two gas turbine-driven compressor trains and two gas turbine generator package sets from German engineering firm Siemens through its Dresser-Rand subsidiary.

The order for the equipment was placed by South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction Corporation, which was awarded a $700m contract in joint venture with Japan’s Mitsui on the third engineering procurement and construction package to build a natural gas liquids (NGL) unit at the steam cracker and polyethylene plant complex.

The Liwa plastics project - which will turn Oman into a polyethylene producer for the first time - is set to enhance both fuel and plastics production.

Siemens’ scope of supply includes four industrial gas turbines, of which two are meant to drive a barrel-type turbo-compressor for lean gas compression.

Extracted NGL from rich gas feed will be transported through a pipeline from the plant located at Fahud to Sohar refinery. The lean gas, meanwhile, will be routed back to the national natural gas distribution system.

Two additional gas turbines, each driving a generator, will supply electricity to the plant in order to extract NGL and provide waste heat for the extraction process, Siemens said in a statement.

The plant, once operational in 2019 will increase plastics production to 1.4 million tonnes per annum from 200,000 tonnes.

Production of fuels will also touch 11.3 million tonnes annually from 7.3 million tonnes at present.

The German engineering group recently won a $400m contract to supply five large gas turbines to be installed at Saudi Arabia’s Fadhili combined heat and power plant.