More than 99 per cent of the work on the Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) has been completed and the project is just months away from being brought on stream, said a report.

With the completion of the crude distillation, vacuum distillation and Kero-Merox units, SRIP will boost its refining output boosted by around 70 per cent, reported Oman Observer.

The upgraded refinery marks the end of a three-year-long expansion and modernisation programme involving a total investment of around $2.1 billion.

When fully operational, the revamped refinery will not only be equipped to meet the nation’s galloping demand for motor fuels and refined petroleum products, but crucially, it will also be suitably configured to process heavier Omani crudes.

With this latter capability, Orpic will, if it chooses, be able to import for the first time crudes that offer not only higher profit margins, but also result in a mix of fuels and byproducts suited to the nation’s requirements as well as its wider operations, say experts.

When fully operational with an enhanced refining capacity of 187,000 barrels per stream day (up from an existing capacity of 116,000 bpsd), the upgraded facility will contribute to hefty increases in the output of key fuels and petroleum by-products.