Persian Gulf Star refinery complete by 55%

TEHRAN,Sept.1(MNA) - The construction of the Persian Gulf Star refinery, located in south of Iran, is now complete by 55 percent and is planned to be put into operation by the next July, the refinery’s project manager told . The refinery project includes three phases, each with the capacity of producing 120,000 barrels of condensates. All the three phases will come on stream by the end of the next calendar year (March 20, 2013), the project manager Ahmad Shariatmadari added. Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has ordered allocating $1 billion for continuing the construction of the Persian Gulf Star refinery. The project needs totally $3.5 billion to be completed. Some $350 million has so far been spent in the project. Iran will have the capacity to export gasoline in the next calendar year, once the Persian Gulf Star refinery comes on stream, he added. The next Iranian calendar year begins on March 21, 2013. Once the refinery comes on stream, it will have the capacity to refine 360,000 barrels of oil per day. The refinery will be implemented in three 120,000-barrel phases and the first phase will be inaugurated within two and half years. Construction operations of the refinery started in 2007. Once the project is inaugurated, the capacity of the country's oil products will rise more than 35 million liters of gasoline and 14 million liters of gas oil per day. In addition, the refinery will produce 4 million liters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 3 million liters of jet fuel and 130 tons of sulfur.