MUSCAT: Oman’s natural gas production and imports grew by 8.3 per cent to 10,206 million cubic meters (MNCM) for the first quarter of 2016, compared to 9,426 MNCM for the same period of last year. Of this, while non-associated gas showed a growth of 8.1 per cent at 8,459 MNCM, associated gas production surged ahead by 9 per cent to 1,748 MNCM, according to latest statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
A sizeable portion of the natural gas in Oman is used by various mega industrial projects, which stood at 6,160MNCM for the first three months of 2016, against 5,692MNCM 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 quarter, as much as 2,279 MNCM of natural gas was used in oil fields, against 1,963 MNCM units consumed for the same period in 2015. Other major consumers of natural gas in the country include power producers, small-scale industries and liquefied natural gas plants.
Natural gas used by power and desalination plants stood 0.8 per cent higher at 1,622 MNCM for the three-month period of this year. The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) estimates gas consumption in the electricity and water desalination sector to rise in the next few years, mainly due to new power plants that need natural gas feedstocks.
While the national demand for gas will rise sharply over the coming five years, the rate of increase is by no means evenly distributed, with requirements set to spike in some regions. In fact, the Ministry of Oil and Gas is responsible for supplying gas to various consumers and the obligations are set out in within the agreements.
