Iran Launches Major Petroleum Coke Plant Project in Bandar Abbas
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Construction work has started on a major petroleum coke plant in southern Iran, with authorities hoping the $2.2 billion project will help reduce the country's significant import bill and create thousands of jobs in the region.
Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji launched the project in the Bandar Abbas refinery on the Persian Gulf coast on Saturday, alongside a senior aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
According to Owji, the project will lead to a significant increase in and diversification of products in the Bandar Abbas refinery and create approximately 8,000 new jobs.
Iran has imported needle and sponge petroleum coke for its steel mills and aluminum smelters for years, but now possesses the technology to produce it domestically. The Bandar Abbas refinery is expected to produce 620,000 metric tons of sponge coke per year once complete.
