TotalEnergies starts developing first Middle Eastern LNG bunker hub

French energy company TotalEnergies and Omani oil and gas firm OQ Exploration and Production (OQEP) have started constructing the Marsa LNG plant, set to become the first LNG bunker location in the Middle East.

IMAGE: A container vessel in Oman's Sohar port. Asyad Group

Located in Oman’s port of Sohar, the Marsa LNG plant is expected to produce about 1 million mt/year of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The LNG production, which is expected to start in the first quarter of 2028, is primarily intended to serve the marine fuel market along the Gulf of Oman, the energy company said.

The plant is being built by Marsa LNG, a joint venture between TotalEnergies (80%) and OQEP (20%). The company has also signed a charter contract for a new LNG bunkering vessel, Monte Shams, that is currently under construction and will operate in the port of Sohar.

The plant will be fully electrified and powered by a 300-megawatt-peak (MWp) photovoltaic solar farm, which will generate the enough power to run the plant, TotalEnergies said.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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