TEHRAN — A contract on construction of gasoline production unit at Tabriz Refinery, northwestern Iran, was signed on Tuesday night, Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.

Inked by Tabriz Oil Refining Company and a consortium of Iranian companies including Industry Designing and Engineering Company, Tanavob plus Chinese Sinopec, the contract is to be implemented on EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) basis.

Construction of the unit will increase gasoline production by Tabriz Refinery to 600,000 liters per day. It will also improve quality of produced gasoline to the level of European standards. Elimination of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and daily production of 750 barrels benzene with purity of 99.9 percent are going to be part of this process.

French Axens and German UHDE are to carry out basic engineering of the project that is scheduled to finish within 30 months.

Tabriz Refinery was established in 1977 with the capacity of 80,000 barrels per day. The refinery receives its primary crude oil from Ahvaz-Asmari Oilfield and the Caspian Sea littoral states.

Gasoline, kerosene, oil gas, naphtha, liquefied gases, sulfur, and tar are among the products produced in this refinery.