US-based engineering group KBR has won a contract to design and manage a project for Oman Liquefied Natural Gas (Oman LNG) at its operation in Qalhat, Oman.

The contract includes a front-end engineering and design (feed) study and project management services.

KBR said that the contract “represents KBR’s re-entry into the Oman market and supports our strategic focus on gas monetisation in the Middle East region”.

KBR was the feed contractor at the original LNG facility developed at the site.

The group did not give any additional details on the nature of the project, but according to sources it involves modification of the existing LNG trains.

The operation currently has the capacity to produce 10.4 million tonnes a year (t/y) of LNG for export but is currently processing 8.4 million t/y.

In its 2016 annual report Oman LNG said it had initiated a project named “Readiness Plan 2018” to prepare the plant for maximum possible availability and utilisation for future additional load and new gas opportunities.

It had also initiated a power project to improve plant efficiency by improved onsite electricity generation.

The current Oman LNG entity follows a 2013 merger between two companies – Oman LNG and Qalhat LNG – and is responsible for the sultanate’s total LNG capacity.

When the merger was confirmed in 2013, Oman LNG said that LNG exports represented the country’s second largest source of revenue after oil exports.