TEHRAN – The first phase of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)’s new oil pipeline project which extends from Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province to Rafsanjan in Kerman province, is going to go operational in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2023), the operator of the project said.

According to Ali Khanipour, the 26-inch pipeline is aimed to transfer 300,000 barrels per day of petroleum products including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel from Persian Gulf Star Refinery (in Hormozgan province) to Sirjan and then Rafsanjan (both in Kerman province), Shana reported.

He noted that over €66 million of foreign investment, as well as 2.04 trillion rials (about $7.3 million) of domestic investment, has been made in this 249-kilometer pipeline.

The project comprised of the pipeline from Bandar Abbas to Rafsanjan, and pump stations and terminals along the line will be implemented in four phases, according to the official.

The first phase of the project includes the construction of the pipeline from Bandar Abbas to Mehraran, the second phase includes the pipeline from Mehraran to Rafsanjan and then a branch to Sirjan, the third phase includes the construction of the pump stations and terminals and finally, the fourth phase includes the construction of the ancillary facilities.

Khanipour stated that the project would be completed by relying on the domestic workforce and capacities, noting that almost all of the parts and equipment used in this project will be supplied by domestic manufacturers.

The official noted that considering the fast pace of the progress in the project, the first phase of the pipeline which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the current calendar year could be completed six months earlier than the schedule.

EF/MA