TEHRAN, Mar. 19 (MNA) – The CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said the first train of the refining facility of South Pars Phase 14 has come on stream by sending refined gas to the national gas transmission network.

According to the National Iranian Oil Company, Mohsen Khojastehmehr announced on Thursday, "With the efforts of local experts, after intensive construction, commissioning, pre-startup and receiving sour gas from the offshore sector of the phase, the first refining train of the phase came online."

Referring to the arrival of sour gas from the offshore platforms of South Pars Phase 14 to the refinery facilities of the project on Monday (February 28), he said, "Thus, part of the processing capacity of Phase 14 refinery with a daily capacity of 500 million cubic feet or 14.2 million cubic meters of gas became operational.”

The CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company noted, “The delay in the completion and commissioning of the refinery under the previous administration had caused the wear and tear of some equipment and valves of the refinery, which with the jihadi management of the National Iranian Oil Company and relevant contractors in the 13th administration, thank God, all shortcomings and problems have been resolved and now the refined gas is being injected into the national grid.”

"Unfortunately, due to labor protests at the beginning of this [calendar] year, there was a three-month delay in the refinery construction process, which was resolved by managing the issue," Khojastehmehr added.

South Pars Phase 14 Refinery is the last developing refinery complex in South Pars, the construction and commissioning of which is being supervised by Pars Oil and Gas Company on behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company and is awarded to a group of Iranian contractors led by the Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran known as IDRO. With the completion of this refinery next year, the development project of the onshore sector of South Pars will be completed.

ZZ/SHANA