Oman has pushed back plans to build a petrochemicals complex in Duqm until after the completion of the proposed new refinery, according to a spokesman from the developer.

The Oman-UAE joint venture Duqm Refinery – which has been rebranded from Duqm Refinery & Petrochemicals Industries Company – is planning to start building the refinery in 2016.

Officials in Oman had previously suggested that the petrochemicals complex would be built in tandem with the refinery. Duqm Special Economic Zone chairman Yahya Said al-Jabri said in late 2012 that both facilities would be completed at the same time.

“We went through an extensive rebranding exercise and are now known as Duqm Refinery,” a spokesman for Duqm Refinery told MEED. “Once the refinery is complete, we will focus on producing petrochemical products.”

The company has just awarded the contract for site preparation work for the refinery to local group Galfar Engineering & Contracting.

Duqm Refinery is a joint venture of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned International Petroleum Industries Company (Ipic) and Oman Oil Company (OOC).

The Duqm project is one of two major petrochemicals schemes planned in Oman.

The $3.6bn Liwa Plastics complex in Sohar is the most advanced of the two. The project’s developer Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) has finished prequalifying companies for the four engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages for the scheme.

A final list of 19 EPC bidders has been concluded after a two-round prequalification process.