MUSCAT: Oman’s natural gas production and imports grew by 3.9 per cent to 34,151 million cubic metres (MNCM) for the first nine months of 2016, compared to 32,875 MNCM during the same period last year. Of this, while non-associated gas and imports showed a growth of 4.7 per cent at 28,306 MNCM, associated gas production edged up 0.2 per cent to 5,845 MNCM, according to the latest statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
A sizeable portion of natural gas in Oman is used by various mega-industrial projects, which stood at 19,093 MNCM in the January-September period of 2016, against 17,942 MNCM for the same period last year. Natural gas is also used in oilfields, either as fuel or for re-injection. For instance, in the first nine months ending in September this year, as much as 7,609 MNCM of natural gas was used in oil fields, against 7,206 MNCM units consumed for the same period in 2015. Other major consumers of natural gas in Oman include power producers, small-scale industries and liquefied natural gas plants.
