Addressing reporters in the southern province of Hormuzgan on Saturday, Mr. Owji said Hormozgan Province is the country's oil product refining hub, and with the construction of Shahid Qassem Soleimani and Morvarid Makran refineries, the refining capacity of this province will reach 1,800,000 per day.

Following the inauguration of the bitumen production and storage plant of Jey Oil Company, and the start of the operation to improve the quality of heavy products of the Bandar Abbas oil refinery, Owji said: “Today, more than $3 billion worth of oil projects will be launched in the province.”

He further pointed out that in the upstream part of the development of the Esfand and Sivand oil fields, 16,000 barrels will be put into operation, and added: “With the use of this project, in which about $110 million have been invested, the volume of oil production in the country will increase.”

The petroleum minister pointed to the operation of Jey Oil Company’s bitumen production and storage plant with an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons, and continued: “Also, the development of this company's jetty in the field of oil products export and import will also be put into operation during this visit.”

Owji further underlined the capacity of 350,000 barrels of product production in Bandar Abbas oil refinery, from which 130,000 barrels of furnace oil are produced, saying: “The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) has acquired the savvy to produce sponge coke bringing Iran to the club of the only 6 countries that enjoy the technology.”

He stated that the plan to improve the quality of heavy products of Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery with €2.2 billion investment as the first sponge coke unit in the country is implemented with the technical knowledge of RIPI. This project creates jobs for 8,000 people.

The petroleum minister announced signing of a contract for the first phase of the development of the Kish gas field, on which 14 wells have been drilled and will be completed, and stated: "Today, with the execution of this contract, the implementation of the construction of the 210-km pipeline from the Kish field to the Asalouye phases 6, 7 and 8 refineries will begin, and in total, this project will be implemented with an investment of $900 million by the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company.”

He pointed to the daily processing of 800,000 barrels of crude oil in Hormozgan Province, and stated: “This province is the hub of refining oil products in the country, and with the construction of Shahid Qassem Soleimani and Marwarid Makran refineries, the refining capacity of this province will reach 1,800,000 barrels per day.”

The oil minister expressed hope that the gas pipeline from Minab to Sarvak will be put into operation by the end of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 21 and from Sarvak to Jask by the end of the next calendar year to March 2024.

Regarding the social responsibility of the Ministry of Petroleum in Hormozgan Province, Owji said: “The Ministry of Petroleum has planned Rls. 11,000 billion for the construction of a hospital and the development of roads and watersheds, and today a memorandum of understanding with the governor will be signed by the Ministry of Petroleum to cover the costs of these projects.