Water Shortage Taking Toll on Isfahan Refinery

Esfahan Oil Refining Company has made concerted efforts for a long time to provide its units with much-needed water, the refinery's spokesman said.
"The refinery will have to either reduce or stop production, if the grave water shortage crisis in the province is not averted," Mohammad Sadeq Hajian was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.  According to Hajian, the refining complex consumes as much as 1,000 cubic meters of water per hour, of which 700 cm are recycled and reused. 
"We have been grappling with pressing water scarcity issues for a long time," Hajian said, adding that the company processes 375,000 barrels of crude per day and this level cannot be sustained unless the refining units are supplied with sufficient water. The official noted that plans are in place to buy the wastewater produced in towns located in the vicinity like Shahin-Shahr and use it to tackle the refinery's water crisis.