Iran's "most modern" gas refinery being built

Iran's most modern gas refinery is under construction in Masjid Suleyman, a city in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan.

Executive director of the project for construction of Masjid Suleyman refinery, Gholam-Reza Askari told <i>IRNA</i> Monday that the refinery would become operational early next Iranian year (to start on March 21).

Askari said executive operations for construction of the refinery, which started in January 2003, have thus far progressed by more than 93 percent. He said rainfall and failure to provide certain necessary materials and items had hindered the operation of the project this February.

He added that the refinery would have the capacity to refine 38,000 to 50,000 cubic meters of gas an hour by taking advantage of digital technology without using utility services.

The official said more than 40 percent of the equipment for construction of the refinery is procured from inside the country and only Iranian experts and technicians are involved in the project. The refinery, said Askari, would refine one million to 1.5 million cubic meters of gas as well as 700 to 800 barrels of gas liquids a day. He said the gas liquid would be injected to regional crude pipeline for export later on.