Khalid Khamis Al Jahwari

What have been some of the major highlights across your operations in Oman over the past year?

We have had many highlights in 2021 and made progress on a number of major projects in Oman, including the successful completion of bp Ghazeer ahead of schedule. With Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), a key partner, we delivered some of their most complicated projects, which involve high risk in sour operations, such as Harweel 2AB and Rabab Harweel Integrated Project (RHIP). Yibal Khuff is also reaching the latter stages of completion, with PDO announcing the start-up in September. We have established a strategic partnership with OQ, and our liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) project for OQ in Salalah has been another highlight. The Duqm Refinery, one of our high-profile major projects, is ongoing, and construction is now well advanced. The pandemic has had a significant impact on our clients and our business; however, we are still proceeding well and recently signed new contracts for PDO, PDC North, and the Marmul Main Production Station (MMPS) – Gas Compression project, which will be the first full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) lump-sum project executed from our Muscat office.

What partnerships have you established in Oman?

Petrofac has been in Oman for over 33 years; we have established key strategic partnerships with major oil, gas, and petrochemical producers and supported many governmental initiatives. We have also developed and supported many local suppliers and subcontractors. None of our projects have been executed in Oman without involving a large range of local partners. Petrofac has maximized in-country value (ICV) and invested USD3 billion through procurement, services, and construction. Our relationship with Omani local contractors and suppliers has developed further, where we also jointly bid for key projects in the Sultanate. The development of Omanis and local capabilities is core to our businesses; we have built up teams that combine a solid mix of Omani and expatriate expertise, and through our business relationships we are also able to leverage our global network for goods and services that are not always available in-country. The focus is also increasingly on SMEs and entrepreneurial ventures, which through our tendering process are encouraged to be part of our procurement and services activities.

What role does Petrofac play in Oman’s green energy transition?

There is a clear shift globally in delivering cleaner energy. There have been various treaties announced globally in recent years to which Oman is committed. Petrofac too is committed to realizing these and has established a dedicated new energy services business. We are interested in blue and green hydrogen and ammonia and solutions that use solar or wind energy to produce electricity or steam instead of burning hydrocarbons. We are also looking into CO2 capture, as Oman is ranked highly in this area, and through our extensive experience on other projects, we know the sites and with our clients can develop solutions toward achieving this transition. Oman plans to have zero flaring by 2030, and by 2040 much of its GDP should come from sources other than oil and gas. Petrofac is well placed to participate in projects linked to these goals.

What innovative technologies have you been employing in your services, and how will this change the market?

Our growing track record in supporting new energies projects globally is across a wide range of different technologies. Petrofac has secured significant contracts in a number of countries, covering carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), blue and green hydrogen, and waste-to-value. We are currently partnering with Storegga Geotechnologies, an independent UK company pioneering carbon reduction and removal for a net-zero world. Our Technical Delivery Alliance aims to support the development and management of Storegga’s low carbon initiatives, along with other complementary projects across direct air capture (DAC), CCUS, and blue hydrogen. We are actively engaging with other developers and technology providers to create new partnering relationships, which give us long-term visibility of projects and preferred access to them.