Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the nation's dominant producer of oil and gas, is set to spend an estimated $500 million on the modernisation of its mammoth network of flowlines, said a report.

The investment will be mainly focused on the surface pipelines that carry hydrocarbon fluids from wells to processing facilities, reported the Oman Daily Observer.

The investment is a key part of the majority Omani government-owned company's 'Spill Prevention Strategy' - a multiyear programme calling for the replacement of ageing pipeline and flowline infrastructure with more durable and largely leak-proof pipes, it stated.

The PDO move is part of its strategy to tackle 'pinhole leaks' in the 20,000 km long network of pipelines and flowlines.

In tandem with the pipeline replacement strategy, PDO is also pursuing an extensive corrosion management plan to keep pipes from being eaten away by hazardous liquids transported through the network, said the report.

Likewise, improved material selection is seen as the answer to increasingly sour and water-wet operating conditions in some parts of its concession, it added.