New Chabahar Pipeline Supplying Oil Byproducts

In line with plans to boost the supply of petroleum products through pipelines across the country, a new pipeline came on stream in Chabahar, south of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, managing director of Chabahar's National Iranian Oil Byproducts Distribution Company said on Saturday.

“The 20-kilometer 14-inch pipeline transfers 400 cubic meters of diesel per hour from Chabahar's oil storage terminal to Chabahar's combined-cycle power plant," Mahdi Atefi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

The new pipeline carries as much diesel as 100 tanker trucks move in one day.

Commenting on the achievements of the project, the official said thanks to the pipeline, which eliminates the need for trucks, not only will road accidents be reduced, but also frequent power outages in the region will be significantly cut as the pipeline will provide the power plant with all the fuel it needs.

Asked about investments to develop the oil pipeline grid in the region, he said the more pipelines become operational, the more stable power supply will be in the area which in turn will help infrastructure in Chabahar to develop faster.

According to Abbas Kazemi, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company's managing director, construction of new pipelines to transfer petroleum products to southern oil terminals tops NIORDC agenda as pipelines have priority over other means of supply such as tanker trucks.

According to the official, a new pipeline has been designed to transport refined oil products, especially Euro-4 gasoline, from the Persian Gulf Star refinery in Bandar Abbas to Tehran and other urban areas in the central and northern regions.

In total, 1,800 kilometers of pipeline was laid in the southeastern regions, parts of which are more than 50 years old. The pipelines are overhauled at 10-year intervals.

On the issue of operational limits in moving oil byproducts from the north to oil terminals in the south for export, the official only said that "the oil pipeline network will undergo major changes."