Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC) has signed a deal with Austria-based Pörner Group, a leading engineering contractor, to provide proprietary Biturox technology for a bitumen production unit planned in Sohar.

The bitumen production unit will be a part of the $1.8 billion Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) and enable Oman to produce bitumen in the sultanate for the first time.

Previously the country has completely depended on imports from Iran and the UAE for its bitumen requirements in order to carry out projects such as asphalting of roads, and various other infrastructure-related works.

Pörner Group said it will support the construction of a bitumen unit featuring a pair of reactors each with a capacity to produce 516 t/d of bitumen.

In addition to supplying the license and basic engineering, the group will also undertake the detailed engineering, pilot testing and commissioning of the new Biturox unit.

Additional assistance will be rendered in the form of start-up support, documentation and training, Pörner stated.