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Oman’s biggest polymer project set for Q1 2026 launch

MUSCAT: The first phase of a major polymer project, currently under construction at Sohar Port and Freezone with an investment of $300 million, is on track for launch in the first quarter of 2026.

When fully operational at a nameplate capacity of 350,000 tonnes per annum, the facility will position the Sultanate of Oman as one of the world’s largest producers of acrylamide and polyacrylamide – polymers that are at the heart of the enhanced oil recovery (EOR), fracking and drilling markets globally.

“This project represents a strategic move to boost the company's manufacturing capabilities in the region and support enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects in the GCC region and internationally,” said Alexey Andrianov, Director of Sales & Technology - Middle East, Europe & North Africa, ZL EOR Chemicals, a Canada-based group specialising in the production of chemical EOR (CEOR) for the global oil and gas sector.

“Once operational, the facility will manufacture high-quality polyacrylamide products aimed at supporting oilfield operations across the Middle East and export markets,” Andrianov added in a post on Friday.

Last December, ZL EOR Chemicals and its local partners Polymer Experts kicked off construction work on their world-scale polyacrylamide (PAM) manufacturing facility on an expansive 250,000 m2 plot in Suhar.

Sharing an update on the project’s current status, Andrianov said: “The Sohar plant construction is advancing steadily, with foundational structures, utility systems, and key equipment installations nearing completion. The commissioning of Phase 1 is expected to begin in early 2026, with Phase 1 production targeted for Q1 2026,” he noted.

Significantly, the Sohar project builds on ZL Group’s longstanding presence in the Omani market, initially as a supplier of imported polyacrylamide for the Omani oilfield sector, but latterly as a local manufacturer of this commodity.

In 2019, the Group launched what was then Oman’s first-ever polymer manufacturing plant in Raysut Industrial City in Dhofar Governorate. Constructed with an investment of $20 million, the facility began with an initial capacity of 15,000 tonnes of polymer per annum, with subsequent expansions envisioned to boost capacity to 70,000 tonnes.

ZL Group’s maiden investment in Oman at the time was in response to calls for the localisation of polyacrylamide manufacturing in light of the sizable demand for this commodity, notably by majority state-owned Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the country’s largest producer of oil and gas.

Chemical EOR operations are an integral part of PDO’s strategy to maximise output from its mature oil fields. It entails the injection of polymers, among other chemicals such as surfactants and alkaline agents, into oil reservoirs to increase the efficiency of oil extraction.

Within PDO’s concession, polymer-based EOR has been deployed as part of the Marmul Polymer Flooding Project, billed as one of the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Furthermore, at Qarn Alam, a hybrid project utilises a combination of thermally-assisted gas/oil gravity drainage (TA-GOGD) with chemical assistance in the optimisation of oil mobilisation.

“By establishing local production, ZL Group aims to strengthen supply chain reliability, reduce lead times, and provide cost-effective solutions for regional clients in Oman, GCC and other regions,” Andrianov added in his post.