The project was officially launched by President Hassan Rouhani via videoconference after the pipeline flew water into a 300,000-cubic-meter storage at Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine in Rafsanjan County, Kerman province.
Piping the Persian Gulf water to Kerman is a national project to tackle the water shortage crisis which is a source of great concern for people, farmers and industrialists living and working in Iran's desert cities including Kerman in southern Iran.
The first phase of the project went on stream in November 2020. It included a desalination unit (in Bandar Abbas), seven pumping stations, 33 water storage tanks, 10 power substations and a 150-kilovolt power transmission line from Hormozgan to Kerman.
The second phase, inaugurated today, transfers water from Sirjan to Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine; And the final phase of the megaproject will later supply the major Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Company in Yazd.
Of the total water to be transferred, major industrial plants namely the Gol-Gohar Complex, Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine and Chadormalu Company in Yazd will annually receive 45 mcm, 40 mcm and 30 mcm of water respectively. The rest will be used for drinking in the dry region.
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