The reopening of Abadan Refinery's sulfur refining plant (SRP), which was shut down for environmental reasons, depends upon the issuance of a judicial decree, Ahmad Mousavi Azad, head of the local department of environment said.
The refinery managers are required to obtain relevant environmental protection permits from the Department of Environment (DoE), and the SRP's refining catalyst also needs to be replaced, IRNA reported Tuesday.
Pointing to the unit's maturity of several years, the official said that it will not reopen unless required permits are granted. Having been identified as a contributing factor to the city's air pollution through its sulfur dioxide emission, the SPR unit was closed on Dec. 9, on Abadan prosecutor's demand, the report added.
Sulfur dioxide emission in Abadan led to health problems with the unpleasant smell of the gas dominating the city. The third warning for either closure of the polluting unit or its rehabilitation gave it a deadline, which ended on Dec. 8. Abadan Refinery, one of the biggest in the world with a production capacity of 400,000 barrels a day, is located in the highly populated area of Abadan city near the Persian Gulf coast. It was founded in 1909 by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP).
It operates as a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), and produces and processes different oil byproducts including LPG, naphtha petrochemical feed, regular gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, gas oil, light fuel oil, lube-cut oil, bitumen, and sulfur.
