Oman’s refinery output declined by 2.4 percent during the first eight months of 2026, falling to approximately 150 million barrels from 153.7 million barrels in the same period last year, according to preliminary data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

The overall decrease was driven primarily by a 6.4 percent drop in diesel production, the largest product category, which fell to just over 50.3 million barrels from 53.8 million barrels a year earlier. Diesel sales, however, saw a modest increase of 1.1 percent to nearly 13.8 million barrels, while exports declined by 10.4 percent to approximately 38.7 million barrels.

Contrasting with the broader production decline, jet fuel output rose sharply by 15.5 percent to nearly 19.8 million barrels, compared with 17.1 million barrels in the previous year. Exports of jet fuel increased by 27.8 percent to 16.6 million barrels, although domestic sales dropped by 5 percent.

Total petrol production saw a slight increase of 0.7 percent, with regular 91-octane petrol rising 0.4 percent to around 11.4 million barrels and premium 95-octane petrol up 1.1 percent to 9.6 million barrels. Despite this, sales for both petrol grades declined substantially. Regular petrol sales fell 9.1 percent to about 10.9 million barrels, while premium petrol sales decreased by 8.5 percent. Exports presented mixed trends; regular petrol shipments increased by 27.3 percent, whereas premium petrol exports decreased sharply by 48.3 percent.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production decreased by 2.7 percent to 7.45 million barrels. LPG domestic sales contracted by 20.7 percent, while exports modestly expanded by 5.4 percent. Naphtha, a petroleum derivative used primarily in petrochemicals, saw production rise by 5.1 percent to over 26.1 million barrels, accompanied by a 4.7 percent increase in sales and a 3.3 percent rise in exports.

Refinery output of other products contracted significantly by 14.2 percent to 25.3 million barrels. Corresponding sales and exports for these products also declined, falling 19.6 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.

In the petrochemical sector, production trends varied. Benzene output increased moderately by 1.8 percent to 123,200 metric tonnes, with exports slightly rising by 1.6 percent. Paraxylene production grew by 5.8 percent to 425,300 metric tonnes, though exports decreased by 1.8 percent. Meanwhile, polypropylene production experienced a notable decline of 25.5 percent, dropping to 177,100 metric tonnes from 237,700 metric tonnes in the same period last year.

The data reflect shifting dynamics in Oman’s refining and petrochemical sectors during the early part of 2026, influenced by variations in both domestic consumption and export markets across different product categories.