Nasrollah Zare’i made the remarks Thursday at the inauguration of the second Central Processing and Export Plant (CTEP) at South Azadegan, described as the country’s largest oil and gas processing facility. He noted the company’s 25-year track record in delivering major oil projects and said it was proud to bring one of Iran’s largest upstream developments to operation.

“The completion of this project after several years is a major milestone in increasing oil production,” Zare’i said. “After 2016, this is the first large-scale oil industry project focused on boosting output, and delivering a mega-project at this time is of high strategic value for the country’s oil sector.”

He said the project includes, for the first time, the localization of nonmetallic pipeline manufacturing, which has now entered the production phase. Key specialized equipment for the facility, including desalters and furnaces, was manufactured in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, he added.

Looking ahead, Zare’i said Iran aims to increase oil production by 1 million barrels per day under the country’s Seventh Development Plan, with the West Karoun region set to become the main hub of oil industry development over the next five years. He said development in the region will continue at full pace.