Unit will market polymers to be produced at upcoming Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex
Orpic has set up a dedicated unit to market the polymers that will come on stream when its $6.4bn Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex (LPIC) is operational by late 2019.
Orpic’s polymer output, comprising polypropylene and polyethylene, is projected to surge to 1.4 million tonnes per annum from 2020, up from 340,000 tonnes currently. Finding domestic, regional and international markets for this output is a key part of the recently established outfit’s remit, according to Gilles Rochas, general manager for polymer marketing at Orpic.
Presenting at the 2nd Oman Downstream Exhibition & Conference (ODEC), Rochas said the availability of polymer feedstock in such abundant quantities could spur the growth of a lucrative polymer processing sector in Oman.
“There is great potential to further develop the downstream industry by unlocking opportunities in plastics conversion in Oman,” he said. “We hope that a good portion of this new output from Orpic can be consumed in the Sultanate because, further we go down the value chain, the more value we can create from downstream processing.”
Rochas sees potential for fast growth in plastics conversion in Oman. About 44 plastics conversion units are currently in operation in the Sultanate, compared with over 90 in Bahrain and 500 in the UAE.