Star Refinery Phase 1 Ready for Launch

The first phase of the Persian Gulf Star Refinery in southern Iran will go on stream in the coming days.

"The long-awaited refinery will start trial production of gasoline this week, and the whole unit will gradually get into full swing," Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by IRNA on Saturday.

In response to speculations that the Rouhani administration is rushing the launch of the major refinery complex to gain political traction, Zanganeh said," There is no need to rush and boast about anything prematurely. The mega project will not be inaugurated unless it is ready for production."

Hassan Rouhani's term ends in summer and presidential elections are slated for May 19 in which the incumbent will contest with five other hopefuls.

Upon the launch of the PGSR's first phase in Hormozgan Province, major cities including Shiraz (Fars Province), Ahvaz (Khuzestan Province) and Bandar Abbas (Hormozgan) will receive a steady supply of high-grade gasoline.

"Once fully operational, the refinery will produce 36 million liters per day of high-octane gasoline and 14 million ml/d of diesel," he noted, adding that other products include 4 ml/d of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 3 ml/d of jet fuel and 130 tons of sulfur every day.

The refinery is owned by Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Investment Company (49%), Oil Industry Pension Fund Investment Company (33.1%) and National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (17.9%).

The second phase is expected to come on stream six months after the launch of the first phase and the output will be largely sold domestically.