Qeshm ultra-heavy crude oil refinery with a processing capacity of 70,000 barrels per day will go on stream soon, managing director of the refining complex said.
The refinery that will “produce bitumen and light petroleum products cost $220 million was built by Pars Behin Palayesh Naft Qeshm Company, a subsidiary of the Pasargad Energy Development Company,” ISNA quoted Mahmoud Qasemi as saying.
Located in Qeshm Island in southern Hormozgan Province, it took eight years to build on a 45-hectares with the help of domestic engineers.
"The feedstock will be provided by offshore platforms in Soroush and Norouz Oilfields in the Persian Gulf," Qasemi said.
The refinery's output will primarily be bitumen (960,000 tons pa) plus diesel, kerosene and naphtha (7 million barrels), the official said, and added that that “the facility will convert very heavy oil grades produced in the region into value-added commodities and create jobs in the region”.
Qeshm is estimated to sit atop more than 4 billion barrels of oil and 283 billion cubic meters of gas in place. It has the potential to become an energy hub in the Persian Gulf and one of the largest producers of oil, gas and electricity.
Numerous hydrocarbon fields, the strategic Strait of Hormuz, proximity to Oman, connection to national gas network and access to Central Asia markets are among the advantages of the strategic island.
Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf close to the Omani port of Khasab and fishing is a leading occupation of the local inhabitants.
On the limited cultivable land available dates and melons are grown while salt is mined on the southeastern coast. The island is also famous for its wide range of ecotourism attractions such as the Hara Marine Forests.
