In a ceremony attended by a number of high-ranking Government officials and distinguished guests, His Excellency Mohammed bin Hamed bin Saif al Rumhy, the Minister of Oil and Gas, officially inaugurated the PDO Virtual Reality Centre on Wednesday, 27 June. The centre, built and operated by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) at the company's Mina al Fahal offices, will enable three-dimensional models of underground rock formations to be viewed from all angles. Particular features can be magnified, and different layers can be stripped away. Such a virtual examination of the underground will transform the way in which PDO geologists, geophysicists, well engineers and reservoir engineers interact and work together. This enhanced co-operation will be indispensable as wells become deeper and more complicated, and oil and gas become more difficult to extract.

The layout of the centre is carefully designed to facilitate the presentation of data to groups. Participants are provided with special goggles to view the eight-metre-long curved screen on which images are projected in stereo, processed by a powerful computer. As many as 45 people at a time will be able to view and analyse graphic data in three dimensions. In this way, for instance, the planning of a well can be done interactively, solidifying the communication and co-ordination required for the job. Moreover, the system relies on familiar software, so users will not require extra training.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, PDO's Managing Director Steve Ollerearnshaw said: "It is the way you use technology that counts, and this is where the Virtual Reality Centre fits in perfectly with the way PDO runs its business. This centre is all about teamwork - working together".

While the centre will most greatly benefit PDO's core business, it will also be used for distance learning and video conferencing. "PDO is not just concerned with the development of its own people; it is concerned with the development of all Omanis", stressed Mr Ollerearnshaw. "This virtual reality centre and the one at Sultan Qaboos University are part of a commitment to the nation's development." (The virtual reality centre at the university - the first in Oman - is part of the Shell Carbonate Centre, a gift offered last year by the Royal Dutch/Shell Group on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of His Majesty's accession.) The two centres can now be linked up, to assist both PDO staff and students at the university.

National Petrochemical Industrialisation Company (NPIC) and Basell Holdings Middle East GmbH (Basell) signed on Wednesday, 14th Rabi Awal 1422 corresponding to 6th June 2001, the joint venture agreement during a reception held in Riyadh under the patronage of H.H. Prince Abdullah Bin Faisal Bin Turki Al-Saud, Assistant to the Minister of defence and Aviation and Inspector General, Chairman of the Economic Offset Committee in the presence of a large number of government officials, diplomats and businessmen from the Kingdom and GCC countries. The name of the joint venture will be Saudi Polyolefins Company.

The new Petrochemical Complex for the production of Polypropylene (PP) from Propane is to be erected in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in the course of the next two-and-a-half years. Designed for an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes, this new PP production plant will be operated by the newly formed joint venture, in which Basell Holdings Middle East GmbH (wholly owned by Basell Polyolefins) and the NPIC, a 51% subsidiary of the National Industrialisation Company (NIC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hold 25% and 75% shares respectively.

The formation of Basell Polyolefins came about as the result of a 50-50 joint venture established between the Royal Dutch/Shell Group and BASF under which Montell, Elenac and Targor merged all polyolefins activities in October 2000.

The contractors responsible for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction of the entire Project Complex are ABB Lummus Global, USA and Samsung Engineering Company, South Korea.

The first step of PP production will be the dehydrogenation of propane into propylene; with an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes. The Catofin Technology from ABB Lummus Global will be used for this part of the complex. Downstream Polypropylene Polymerisation is based on the Novolen Gas Phase Technology to produce 450,000 tonnes of homopolymers and random copolymers of PP. The polypropylene produced will be marketed domestically and internationally by the joint venture partners.

Engineer Mubarak A. Al-Khafrah, Chairman of the Board of "NPIC" stated that NPIC considers this important project as a cornerstone in its strategy to focus on petrochemicals and it is very pleased with its partnership with Basell which is one of the largest and most reputable companies in the world in the Polyolefins business.

Dr. C.A. Linse, Chief Operating Officer, Polypropylene of Basell Polyolefins Company stated that "The investor friendly climate in the Kingdom combined with ample availability of feedstock and the pro-active development of industrial infrastructure by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu have created and sustained the impressive development of the Saudi petrochemical industry over the last 25 years." He also added "This is Basell's first important step into a major investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This event creates a new focus in our long-term business strategy."