TEHRAN – Construction works aimed at the building of a nuclear power plant in Darkhowein will begin by the yearend (Iranian year ends March 20), noted a lawmaker.

The project to build a nuclear power plant in Darkhowein – located in Khuzestan Province - had been planned before the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Kamal Daneshyar, chairman of the Majlis Energy Committee said. He added that, the basic work for the project including site selection has been done.

The MP also pointed to the building of an oil refinery near Omidiyeh, a city also located in the southern oil-rich province of Khuzestan and said that the building of a second refinery in Abadan is being studied and the project is expected to begin by the end of the year.

Commenting on the controversial agreement on the development of the Azadegan Oilfield by a Japanese contractor, the Iranian MP maintained that National Iranian South Oil Co. (NISOC) is able to complete the project in a better way and half the time and costs proposed by the Japanese side, the Persian service of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Saturday.