TEHRAN — Development operations of the third phase of Abadan Refinery has been launched recently in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, an official with Erection and Construction Company (ECC) said here on Wednesday.

The project has so far progressed by 8 percent, and will increase Iran’s gasoline production by 6 million liters per day, Mohammad Hassan Kadivar told Mehr News Agency.

“Consequently, the gasoline imports should decline by 25 percent,” he noted.

Having a contract worth €400 million, the project to develop Abadan Refinery phase 3 is scheduled to be implemented within three years, the head of the Board of Directors at ECC stated.

He added that no foreign company is involved in implementation of this project.

Having a high level of gasoline consumption, Iran has to spend considerable amount on importing the product to meet the domestic need. As an alternative countermeasure, the country has started upgrading and developing its refineries.

Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, Arak, and Abadan are among the refineries for which development contracts have been signed.