Speaking in a telephone conversation on Thursday with Channel 1 of the national TV, Mr. Owji said, "Unfortunately, about 40 million cubic meters or nearly as much as 2 phases of South Pars gas is being flared in the country which is mainly in oil fields in Khuzestan province.”

Referring to the planning of the 13th administration and the Ministry of Petroleum to collect and determine the fate of associated gases, he added that eight contracts regarding collection of APG have been signed with Bidboland Persian Gulf Refining Company, as one of the largest gas refineries in the country.

“These contracts are worth €470 million and will be implemented in West Karoon fields which are mainly operated by National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC),” he added.

The Minister of Petroleum underlined supply of feedstock as one of the concerns of petrochemical industry, and said: "I can confidently state that about 500 million cubic feet of APG will be collected in the next one to two years and will be processed at the Bidboland Persian Gulf refinery to become feedstock for petrochemical complexes."