TEHRAN (PIN) – The West Ethylene Pipeline, which will run from Assaluyeh region to the Kurdish city of Mahabad in West Azarbaijan Province, has progressed 36.09 percent by the end of the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2006).

The West Ethylene Pipeline is one of the most important plans considered by Ministry of Petroleum for petrochemical sector and is a national plan, which will reduce concentration of petrochemical industries in southern parts of the country to western parts and will lead to remarkable job creation in western provinces of Iran.

The project has progressed 32.94 percent in terms of design and engineering, 50.34 percent in terms of logistics, and 17.53 percent in terms of construction, installation and pre-commissioning.

The West Ethylene Pipeline was initially to run for 1,500 km with the capacity of 1.5 million tons to feed five projected petrochemical complexes. As the number of those complexes increased, the pipeline’s length was increased to 2,100 km with the capacity of 2.8 million tons. Construction of the pipeline started in 2003 and it will supply needed feedstock to petrochemical complexes which are to be built in Gachsaran, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Mahabad, Hamedan, Myandoab, Dehdasht, Andimeshk, and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari.

The plan aims at boosting production in less developed parts of the country. Needed ethylene for petrochemical complexes in western provinces will be supplied by the olefin plant of Assaluyeh and another part will be produced at Bandar Imam Special Economic Petrochemical Zone in Mahshahr.