The launch took place with the participation of Pezeshkian and Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad. The Central Treatment and Export Plant (CTEP), is the country’s largest oil and gas processing facility. Once all four processing trains are completed, its total capacity is expected to reach 320,000 barrels per day.

The start-up of the second train has removed a key bottleneck to sustaining oil production at the South Azadegan shared field. The field currently produces about 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day, most of which is processed at the CTEP.

The new unit has also freed up roughly 60,000 barrels per day of capacity at other processing facilities, increasing operational flexibility across the West Karoun region.

Plans are also underway to collect about 6.5 million cubic meters of associated gas per day from the field and send it to the Hoveyzeh Persian Gulf Gas Refinery (NGL 3200), a project expected to become operational by the end of the Iranian year 1405 (March 2027).

During the construction and implementation phase, the project created an average of 1,500 direct jobs and more than 2,500 indirect jobs. With the unit now operational, it is expected to provide stable employment for about 700 local workers from the region and Khuzestan province.