Ezzatollah Gholami, the refinery’s production deputy, told SHANA that the 2025 overhaul was the most extensive maintenance operation in the refinery’s history and one of the largest in the nation’s oil industry. The project involved the comprehensive overhaul of 14 operational units.

“With the completion of these overhauls, unit capacities have returned to or exceeded their design levels,” Gholami said. “This achievement is the result of round-the-clock efforts by our specialists, precise planning, and confidence in domestic capabilities.”

Local Equipment Supply

Gholami said the refinery began planning for the massive project two years ago due to its scale and complexity. Despite extensive preparation, the RFCC unit — one of the largest of its kind in the Middle East — suffered damage nearly 300 percent greater than anticipated. Many components were beyond repair, but the refinery managed to source and manufacture all required parts domestically within a tight 70-day window.

“This was a remarkable accomplishment,” he said. “It proved the strength and agility of local manufacturing and engineering.”

The refinery’s design capacity was originally 250,000 barrels per day but has now risen to 265,000 barrels through operational improvements. Recognized as Iran’s most advanced petro-refining complex, it has upgraded all products to Euro-4 (2004) standards and some to Euro-5 (2005) standards using domestic expertise.

The Shazand facility is the country’s first and only producer of normal hexane, eliminating the need for imports. It also produces normal pentane, propylene, and ATR-140 — a specialized marine fuel meeting IMO 2020 standards.

Modern Systems and Safety Standards

Gholami said the refinery’s processes align with global refining technologies and include some of the most advanced operational units. Its Distributed Control System (DCS) monitors performance in real time — a feature found in only a handful of refineries in Iran. The laboratory has ISO 17025 certification and is officially recognized by the Iran National Standards Organization.

Emphasizing the importance of safety, Gholami said all contractors and new personnel undergo mandatory safety training before taking part in overhaul operations. Safety requirements are embedded in all contracts, and risk management procedures are implemented according to international standards.

He added that the refinery is pursuing renewable energy integration and has already earned an official energy efficiency certification. “Our energy consumption is now below the benchmark accepted by refining companies,” he said.

Expanding the Value Chain

Gholami said that even as fossil fuel use declines, the refinery is planning projects to enhance its value chain and produce higher value-added products. “Projects such as needle coke production for the steel industry and gasoline derivative conversion for petrochemical feedstocks are among our key priorities,” he said.

He noted that maintaining steady production amid aging infrastructure is a major challenge for Iranian refineries. Shazand refinery operates with more than 45,000 consumable parts, over 20,000 of which were manufactured domestically for the first time. “Many rotating machines have been localized despite high risks, and none of our indigenization projects have failed,” he added.

Drawing on his 10 years of operational experience at the refinery, Gholami described the current period as the most demanding. “Refineries are aging, equipment needs more frequent maintenance, and we still face issues such as power outages and delays in supply delivery,” he said. “But through meticulous planning, we’ve managed to sustain continuous production.”