The minister, who made the statement in a ceremony to resume the suspended project, told reporters the project had been halted for several years and the issue was followed up the province’s representative in the Parliament and the National Petrochemical Company (NPC).

According to Owji, the plant will start producing 1.1 million tons of urea and ammonia as of 3.5 years later.

Construction of the project’s gas (feedstock) transmission pipeline will start soon, said the minister, describing the railway in the vicinity of the plant as a considerable advantage of the plan.

Based on the plan, domestic knowledge-based companies will supply the major part of equipment needed for implementing the project, which will create 1,500 direct job opportunities when completed, Owji continued.

Projects related to petrochemical value chain will be also carried out in parallel with the urea and ammonia project’s equipment manufacturing process, he explained.

Shifting to the discovery of fields, the minister said, “As I said before, the Exploration Directorate of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has been mobilized and Hirkan oil field and Qezel Tappeh gas field were discovered. We will likely have good news for Golestan’s people when exploration operations in Ziyar gas field end.”

By mid-March 2024, all towns and villages of Golestan Province will be supplied with natural gas and it will join the country’s green provinces, he concluded.