Established as a limited liability company in 1982, the Mina Al Fahal refinery was commissioned with a refining capacity of 50,000 barrels per day (bpd). Consistent economic growth and increased demand for petroleum products in the Sultanate led to new challenges which prompted ORC to increase its process capacity to 80,000 bpd in 1987 through a low-cost plant modification.

Today, the refinery processes 85,000 bpd of products including motor gasoline, LPG, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel. ORC is the single source for these products in Oman, using crude feedstock from PDO. The finished product is supplied to marketing companies: Al Maha, BP and Shell.

To be more competitive and offer superior quality product for the international market, ORC says that it continues to set higher targets for the future. New strategic business plans have been formulated, and this year the company is to lay the groundwork for ISO quality certification.

The Mina Al Fahal plant has always struck a fine balance between technology advancement and the environment. Operating capacity has been consistently higher than 100 per cent since start up in 1982, thus negating the need for imports.

The main units are the crude distillation unit, naphtha hydrotreating unit, platforming unit, merox unit and gas tail unit. The refinery has a power plant, desalination unit and boilers for steam generation, as well as storage facilities.

Safety is paramount in the refinery and the safe disposal of hydrocarbons in case of emergency is one of the most important processes. This is achieved through the flare, which allows the hydrocarbons to be burnt at a safe height necessary to dissipate the heat safely.

Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) issues are also critical to ORC. During the last nine years ORC has experienced only two Lost Time Incidents, placing the plant among the safest in the world.

Backed up by highly trained staff, the refinery has won several safety awards, including the first award in the competition for the Fire Fighting Crew in the country in 1997. The company also employs an Emergency Response Plan which precisely defines the roles and responsibilities of all front-line personnel in case of emergency.