The Marsa LNG project, a joint venture between TotalEnergies (80%) and OQEP (20%), is under construction in the port of Sohar, northern Oman. The project's first phase involves building a 1 million tonnes per annum liquefaction plant, with production from this initial train expected to commence in the first quarter of 2028.

Potential Expansion and Current Status

TotalEnergies is exploring the addition of a second liquefaction train at the Marsa LNG facility. However, discussions are at an early business development stage. A key condition for proceeding is securing sufficient natural gas resources, with the company emphasizing it will not build a train without this certainty. Consequently, a final investment decision on a second train is not anticipated in 2026, with 2027 mentioned as a more likely timeframe, pending necessary appraisal drilling.

Project Characteristics and Strategy

The Marsa LNG plant is designed to be fully electrified and will be integrated with a 300 MWp solar farm intended to meet the plant's annual energy requirements, positioning it as a low-carbon LNG project. The facility's strategic location at the entrance to the Gulf has been selected to establish the first LNG bunkering hub in the Middle East. The LNG production from the first train is primarily destined to serve the marine fuel market in the Persian Gulf region.

Feedstock and Broader Context

The Marsa LNG project will be supplied with 150 million cubic feet per day of natural gas feedstock from the Mabrouk North-East field in onshore Block 10, in which the Marsa joint venture holds a 33.19% interest. This development occurs alongside other potential expansions in Oman's LNG sector, including Oman LNG's previously announced plans for a new 3.8 million tpa train, although Oman LNG has recently paused the tender process for further expansion at the Qalhat complex.