OREANDA-NEWS. Orpic (Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company) participated at this year's Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Forum in Dubai last week, its third consecutive appearance at the region's premier petrochemicals industry event.

The Liwa Plastics Project (LPP), Orpic's USD 3.6 billion development, was again the focus of attention on the company stand. LPP, which is scheduled to become operational in 2018 will enable the first Omani production of polyethylene, the world's most in-demand plastic, and see Orpic double its profitability. Currently LPP is coming to the end of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) stage, and will enter the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tendering phase in the new year.

In a fresh initiative this year, Orpic also sponsored the participation cost of three Sultan Qaboos University students to give them experience of an industry-wide event, allowing them to attend the Conference that is central part of the GPCA Forum and hear the latest positions and opinions from the industry's experts.

When in production, LPP, which has at its heart a steam cracker unit, will support the growth of the country's downstream plastics industry, bringing with it additional employment potential. LPP will also result in direct employment by Orpic through the construction and operational phases of the project. 350 operators will be required on a permanent basis as well as 150 technicians, with 10,000 FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) during the construction stages. As with all of Orpic's projects, In-Country Value (ICV) is integrated into LPP, creating a sharp focus on SME development and local procurement.

With the completion of LPP, Orpic will be producing a total of 1.4 million metric tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene a year. In addition to the Steam Cracker, the project includes plants for Polypropylene, LLDPE and HDPE, as well as a natural gas extraction plant in Fahud and a 300km pipeline from there to the Sohar complex.

Orpic's two other major projects are also on track, with the USD 2.6 billion Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) now in construction and scheduled to be commissioned in 2016, and the Muscat-Sohar Product Pipeline project due for completion in 2017.