Duqm Hongtong Pipes Company recently celebrated the groundbreaking of Oman’s first factory for manufacturing reinforced thermopolyethlene pipes at the Special Economic Zone of Duqm (SEZD), said a report.

The ceremony was held with the presence of a number of government dignitaries from Oman and China and representatives from shareholders, investors, stakeholders and potential customers, added the Times of Oman report.

The plant will meet the growing local and international demand for non-metallic pipes that could be used for oil and gas industry and specifically for the collection and transfer of hydrocarbon fluids through the piping networks, it said.

At the initial stage, the factory’s products will serve the local market, while afterward these Omani-made products will be promoted and supplied to other regional and international markets whenever required.

Built over an area of 60,000 sq m, the factory is designed to be capable of producing around 1,200 km of reinforced thermopolyethylene pipes (RTP) annually with the first batch of products is expected by the second quarter of 2020.

The final products will be manufactured as per the technical specifications of the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the American Institute of Petroleum.

Yearly production capacity is expected to be about 1,200 km of reinforced plastic pipes with the potential to double capacity in the future. The first batch of pipes is expected to be produced during the second quarter of 2020, added the report.