18 September 2012
Iran is planning to launch the biggest oil desalting plant in the Middle East next year (starts March 21, 2013), said a senior oil industry official.

Managing Director of Karoun Oil and Gas Production Company Mohsen Dahanzadeh said on Sunday that the centralized desalting plant which will be established near Asmari oilfield in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province will be able to process 220,000 barrels per day of crude oil, Press TV reported.

So far, the project has seen a physical progress of 40-percent, he added.

The official noted that in addition to ensuring continued production of high-quality oil, the plant will prevent possible reduction in the production of existing desalting plants in Ahvaz region when they undergo basic repairs.

Dahanzadeh said that the technical know-how for manufacturing over 700 necessary parts for the Iranian oil industry has been indigenized by his company.

Karoun Oil and Gas Production Company is a subsidiary of the National Iranian South Oil Company which is in charge of producing and processing oil from Ahvaz, Mansouri, Ramin, and Ab-Teimur oilfields.

Iran holds the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves.

The country's total in-place oil reserves have been estimated at more than 560 billion barrels, with about 140 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Moreover, heavy and extra heavy varieties of crude oil account for roughly 70-100 billion barrels of the total reserves.

© Iran Daily 2012