Mohammadali Shafiei said the project had reached the milestone 46 days after construction work began.

He expressed hope that continued support would allow one of the refinery units to come online in early Dey, the 10th month of the Iranian calendar, which begins in late December.

Shafiei said Caretaker Oil Minister Hamid Bovard’s visit to the South Pars region shortly after his appointment underscored the strategic importance of the refinery reconstruction project in securing the country’s energy supply and helping address the natural gas imbalance.

He thanked Bovard for supporting the reconstruction efforts, adding that the minister’s presence in the region could help accelerate the work.

Bovard visited damaged South Pars refineries and the Jam and Mobin Energy Persian Gulf petrochemical complexes on Tuesday, Oct. 13, accompanied by Bushehr Governor General Arslan Zare and Mousa Ahmadi, head of Parliament’s Energy Committee.

During the visit, Bovard inspected the third, fourth, fifth and sixth South Pars refineries to review reconstruction progress and measures to restore damaged sections.