Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas (TR) has won a contract to undertake the basic engineering and front-end engineering design (FEED) of a new grassroots bitumen refinery planned at Sohar Port & Freezone in Oman, a report said.

Plans drawn up by project developer Sohar Asphalt envisage a 30,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) capacity bitumen refinery designed to process heavy crude into bitumen as the main product, as well as atmospheric and vacuum distillates as by-products, reported Oman Observer.

Annual production is estimated at one million tonnes of bitumen and 600,000 tonnes of naphtha, straight-run distillates and vacuum gas oil (VGO), according to the report.

“TR engineering has been engaged to develop basic engineering and FEED for the entire project. The project facilities include Atmospheric and vacuum distillation units, sour water stripper unit, storages, associated utilities and off sites. Crude oil will be imported and bitumen and the distillate products will be exported by sea,” TR said in a statement.