Oman’s Mina Al Fahal refinery achieves record capacity utilisation

Muscat: Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company’s (Orpic) Mina Al Fahal refinery in Muscat reported the utilisation of a record capacity of 94 per cent last year.
This follows rigorous adherence to policies and processes that cascaded across all levels.
Several factors contributed to higher utilisation and can be summarised in the collective efforts of different disciplines that worked together to achieve a common goal –to serve Oman with pride.
“It is a continuous improvement process under the guidance of a clear leadership and vision that has yielded better results that all we are proud of,” said Essam Al Sheibany, general manager, Mina Al Fahal Operations of Orpic.
“Over the years, Orpic has steadfastly focussed on reliability and process safety practices through a programme called ‘Back to Basics.’ This simple programme focusses on core areas, such as health, safety, environment, operations, and plant equipment, to reassess and re-evaluate key areas of improvement,” said Al Sheibany.
Referring to the growth in domestic demand for refined products, he noted that demand for LPG (cooking gas), JET A-1 and premium gasoline in 2015 was expanding at a rate of some seven per cent over 2014. Further, regular gasoline demand grew 3.3 per cent, compared to 2014. Further, gas oil consumption showed a modest growth rate of some 1.5 per cent, compared to 2014.
Talking about self-sufficiency in petroleum products, he said; “The net import-export position varies from one product to another. For LPG, fuel oil and aviation fuel (JET A-1), Oman is a net exporter, whereas the country is short in gasoline and balanced for gas oil.”
Mina Al Fahal Refinery, which was built to meet the country’s fuel demands, produces super and regular gasoline, as well as diesel, jet fuel and LPG.
Al Sheibany added that the government’s decision to move towards introducing international prices will be a major influence this year. “We may expect consumers to ration their fuel consumption, as well as move towards more economic options, such as shifting the demand from expensive premium gasoline to regular, as it fits the majority of the car fleet in Oman,” noted Al Sheibany.