TEHRAN – Iran’s new 1000-kilometer-long Goreh-Jask oil pipeline in the southern Hormozgan province, which will provide the country with an alternative route for crude oil exports that are currently transferred through the Strait of Hormuz, has registered over 60 percent of physical progress and is underway with full force.

The project, which is aimed at expanding the oil transport capacity in the south of the country to one million barrels a day, was inaugurated in late June by President Hassan Rouhani.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the project, President Rouhani said this project was currently the country’s most strategic project.

Rouhani said a total of $300 million has so far been invested in the project while another $800 million to $850 million is needed for its full operation.

“We hope that exports from Jask will begin as the government's most strategic project by the end of this [calendar] year (March 20, 2021),” the president noted.

According to the head of Iran’s Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), considering the current rate of progress in the Goreh-Jask oil pipeline project, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will be able to export its first oil cargo from Jask terminal by the end of the current Iranian calendar year.

Touraj Dehqani, who visited the project on Sunday, held several meetings with contractors and project managers and was briefed about the details of the project progress; during these meetings, the official emphasized the completion of the project on schedule.

Regarding the overall progress of the project, he said: "The project is being followed up with the aim of completing and launching it before the end of the year, and considering that the project progress has reached about 60 percent, so we focus more on the sectors in which the project operations are facing difficulties and need more attention.”

According to the official, currently, about 650 kilometers (km) of pipes have been provided to the project site.

“It is necessary for pipe manufacturing companies to make extra efforts for timely delivery of the entire length of pipes required for the project within the next three months and send it to the workshop,” he stressed.

Regarding the pump houses No. 2 and 4, which are important parts in the first phase of the project and have priority, more attention has been paid to the supply of required items and deficits. Delivery of the main pumps needed for the launching of this phase is also planned by domestic manufacturers for late November, Dehqani explained.

“Also, in the storage tanks section of Jask terminal, parts of sheets have been made and the welding operations of the tanks have started about one month ago”, the official added.

The PEDEC head also referred to the consequences of the outbreak of the coronavirus and said: "In such circumstances, we have always tried to monitor the health and safety protocols to ensure the health of our colleagues.”

Goreh-Jask pipeline will transfer one million barrels of heavy and light crude oils per day to Jask oil terminal in the southern Hormozgan province to be exported.

EF/MA