Iran’s petchem complex to resume operation within weeks

The Iranian minister of petroleum says the country’s Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Complex in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, which was hit by a raging fire earlier this week, will resume its operation within the next few weeks.

Bijan Zangeneh told reporters early on Saturday that the complex will return to normal condition in two or three weeks, though it will take longer for its paraxylene tower to be repaired and start over regular activities.

He expressed his gratitude to firefighting teams for their efforts to extinguish the blaze at the petrochemical complex, describing the cooling of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), benzene and petroleum naphtha tanks as the most important part of the battle to contain the fire.

He added that personnel from Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Complex, Shahid Tondgooian Petrochemical Company, Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex, the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), as well as Khuzestan provincial governor’s office were in action to keep the temperature and pressure at the tanks low.