OMAN-based Al Hassan Engineering Company (AHEC), one of the leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms in the region, plans to continue with its strategy of building on its EPC business across all sectors.

In addition, it plans to further develop its contracting services business by growing relationships with the major international EPC contractors working on the larger EPC contracts both here in the sultanate and in the UAE.

“The market continues to be stable with ongoing and significant investments in power both here and in the UAE. The oil and gas sector is still benefiting from the robust oil prices and investment continues to be strong. Infrastructure development projects are also running at a significant level,” says Peter Hall, chief executive officer, AHEC.

The company, which operates in all the segments of the energy sector including power, oil, gas and petrochemicals and water,  says its market share is in line with its targets. “The business over the past few years has been good. Investment plans continue to be healthy in all our target markets and we have a healthy order book for 2013. In addition, we are exploring opportunities to develop our activities in selected infrastructure type projects,” Hall adds.

From starting out as a small construction firm in 1982, AHEC in a relatively short span of time graduated as a public listed company and one of the leading EPC companies in Oman. Part of the Oman-based AJ Hassan Group of Companies that employs over 5,000 people, AHEC has its head offices and fabrication facilities both in Muscat, Oman and Abu Dhabi. 

AHEC currently operates in three main business sectors, oil, gas and petrochemicals; power generation. transmission and distribution; and civil construction and water/wastewater treatment. “In all of these sectors, we either operate as the main EPC contractor or as a chosen construction service provider in the areas of civil construction, mechanical/structural/pipework construction installation and electrical and instrumentation equipment installation and commissioning. In addition, we sometimes provide maintenance services across the sectors,” says Hall.

The company diversified into execution of major civil works and water & waste water management projects in the year 2009. One of its major projects in this area is the civil work for the STP project at Seeb near Muscat, the largest so far in Oman. In 2010, the company decided to enter the renewable energy market.

In this, AHEC Abu Dhabi succeeded in securing the qualifications as general contractor with Masdar for major workgroups which include general civil works, power and communication line and related structure, structural steel contractors and mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP).

“In the last three decades, AHEC has successfully completed over 100 small, medium, large- sized contracts for leading Omani organisations such as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company (ORPC), Oman Gas Company (OGC), Ministry of Housing Electricity and Water (MHEW), Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), Haya Water as well as for international contractors such as GS E&C, SNC Lavalin, Hyundai Rotem and more lately Siemens, Petrofac, Technip and Samsung,” says Hall.