According to PIN, coinciding with the 100th birthday anniversary of Iran"s oil industry and the first oil well drilled in Iran and the Middle East, Gholamhossein Nozari accompanied by some senior oil and non-oil officials, officially opened the refinery.

The inauguration ceremony will continue by the start of some other development plans and industrial projects in Masjed-Soleiman.

On this basis, the Naft-Sefid oil field"s associated sour gas is used as the refinery"s feedstock and is transferred through a 12-inche and 25-km pipeline to the city"s refinery. 

Masjed Suleiman refinery’s manager, Nuroddin Razaghi, said the refinery gas production capacity is about 1mm cm/d and is also capable of producing 1000 barrels of gas condensates daily.

He continued the refinery is one of the most sophisticated and modern refineries worldwide and has been constructed with $256mm investment within 40 months.

Razaghi also cited replacing sour, nonstandard and unsafe gas consumed by citizens with refined one, mitigating air pollution, increasing public health and securing the suburban industries with gas are those of special among the major objectives of this project.

"Creating job opportunities and mitigating poverty throughout the region are other aims followed in implementing this project," he said.

Masjed Suleiman is considered as one of the oil cities in the world and the first oil well in the Middle East has been made in this city in 1908 with 360 meters depths, the manager pointed out.