Editing Petroleum Development Oman (section)

===Sustainability (2002–present)===
Following a comprehensive review in 2002 that led to a sweeping change programme, PDO laid out production-recovery plans based not only on waterflooding but also on [[enhanced oil recovery]] (EOR) techniques: the application of heat, chemicals or gas solvents to alter the way oil or injected water flows in a reservoir. In order for them to be sustainable in the long run, the plans had to be executed for substantially less money than originally envisaged, making them all the more challenging. A total of $2 billion in cost savings over the five-year period 2002–2008 were incorporated into the company's budget. Because of the long-term nature of investments that would be required, the Omani Government agreed at the end of 2004 to extend PDO's exploration and production concession and operating agreements for 40 years – until 2044.

Meanwhile, gas continues to be a growth area for the company. A new gas-processing plant was commissioned in [[Saih Nihayda]] in 2005, and another one is due in 2008 for PDO's newest gas field in [[Kauther]]. With the addition of those two processing plants, nearly one-third of the hydrocarbon energy that PDO supplies will come from natural gas—the fuel that has a central role in the Government's economic diversification plans.

Faced with [[oil price]]s above [[United States dollar|$]]100 a barrel and sinking field capacities, PDO was one of the many companies to introduce in-site combustion, an EOR technique involving lighting fires within the reservoirs, in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081102210.html|title=Thirst for Oil Feeds Innovation in Oman|date=August 12, 2008|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 2010, the company announced the discovery of three new oil- and one gas field.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/034c152c-d027-11df-bb9e-00144feab49a|title=Oman walks energy balance tightrope|date=October 5, 2010|work=Financial Times|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

Since 2010, PDO has been working on the [[Miraah]] Solar Project, a 1,021 mega[[watt]] [[Solar thermal energy|solar thermal]] facility, which is to be used in [[Enhanced oil recovery|EOR]] from 2017/2018 onwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/oman-to-build-giant-solar-plant-to-extract-oil-1436344310|title=Oman to Build Giant Solar Plant to Extract Oil|date=July 8, 2015|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref><ref name="power">{{cite web|url=https://www.power-technology.com/projects/miraah-solar-thermal-project/|title=Miraah Solar Thermal Project|work=Power Technology|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 2011, a series of strikes and protests took place in Oman that also involved hundreds of PDO workers demanding higher wages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/fd4cd0ba-4f03-11e0-9c25-00144feab49a|title=Oman protesters demand corruption investigation|date=March 15, 2011|work=Financial Times|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

Since the decline of natural production capacity, PDO has invested heavily to keep up and try to increase production again. Having to rely on marginal wells and enhanced oil recovery techniques more and more, the overall quality of oil is ''getting heavier and drifting down'' said the director of energy consulting firm [[Purvin & Gertz]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/world/middleeast/21iht-M21B-DUBAI-OIL.html|title=Dubai Exchange Faces Steep Climb on Crude Oil Deals|date=July 20, 2011|work=New York Times|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 2013, a team of members from Manpower Ministry and Oman's Trade Union Federation found nearly 50 labor law violations and mistakes in safety norms during an inspection at PDO's [[Fahud]] facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/pdo-contractors-violate-safety-and-labour-laws-1.1135440|title=PDO Contractors violate safety and labour laws|date=January 21, 2013|work=Gulf News Oman|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 2014, [[P. Mohamed Ali]], the former managing director of [[Galfar Engineering and Contracting]], was sentenced to three years in jail for bribes made to PDO. In the same year Juma Al Hinai, the former head of the tender committee at PDO, was also charged with bribery and sentenced to three years in jail, including a fine of 600,000 [[Omani rial|rials]]. He was banned from public office for 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oman-trial-verdict/oman-government-official-two-executives-jailed-fined-for-graft-idUKBREA0B0CE20140112|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116001023/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oman-trial-verdict/oman-government-official-two-executives-jailed-fined-for-graft-idUKBREA0B0CE20140112|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 16, 2018|title=Oman government official, two executives jailed, fined for graft|date=January 12, 2014|work=Reuters|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oman-corruption-sentences/oman-court-jails-businessman-to-15-years-over-bribes-idUSBREA280I020140309|title=Oman court jails businessman to 15 years over bribes|date=March 9, 2014|work=Reuters|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref> Subsequently, the head of PDO warned all contractors to adhere to [[OECD Anti-Bribery Convention|anti-bribery]] and -corruption policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2014/04/09/corruption-currents-from-too-fast-to-fail-to-heartbleed-bug/|title=Corruption Currents: From Too Fast to Fail to Heartbleed Bug Sparks Security Panic|date=April 9, 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, PDO launched a $3.4 billion loan program with [[HSBC Bank Middle East|HSBC bank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pdo-loans/lpc-omans-pdo-says-raising-approx-us3-4bn-loan-idUSL4N18T3YE|title=LPC-Oman's PDO says raising approx. US$3.4bn loan|date=June 1, 2016|work=Reuters|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> In the same year, PDO signed a contract with [[GE Oil and Gas|GE Oil & Gas]] to provide [[Progressive cavity pump]] (PCP) equipment and related services from late 2016 onwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofoman.com/article/92971|title=GE signs major contract with Petroleum Development Oman|date=September 26, 2016 |work=Times of Oman|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, following many years of reconstruction and oilfield optimization, PDO confirmed a new combined oil, gas and condensate production record (1.293 million [[Barrel of oil equivalent|barrels of oil equivalent]] per day, BOE) for 2016. The company is still faced with a low price environment and continues to work on cost controlling measures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofoman.com/article/106275|title=Petroleum Development Oman sets new production record|date=April 3, 2017|work=Times of Oman|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofoman.com/article/106953/Oman/Petroleum-Development-Oman-gives-guests-an-overview-of-the-companys-performance|title=Petroleum Development Oman gives guests an overview of the company's performance|date=April 12, 2017|work=Times of Oman|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> The company in 2017 also celebrated 50 years of oil exports and announced a continually growing expansion into [[hydrocarbon]] and [[renewable energy]] generation and [[Water resource management|water management]] – turning PDO into a fully diversified energy company. Around 80% of operations are estimated to remain in the oil and gas sector until 2027.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofoman.com/article/113695|title=50 years of oil exports by Oman|date=July 26, 2017|work=Times of Oman|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofoman.com/article/118462|title=Petroleum Development Oman plans to focus more on renewable energy|date=October 2, 2017|work=Times of Oman|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>

The largest onshore discovery in 2018 was a [[natural-gas condensate]] area, found on the Mabrouk North East field, operated by PDO.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/energy/90719/2018-discovered-petroleum-resources-increase-30|title=2018 Discovered Petroleum Resources Increase 30%|date=July 30, 2018|work=Financial Tribune|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>