Iran is set to open the largest oil desalination plant in the Middle East in the next Iranian year, an industry official told state Press TV. The desalination plant near the Asmari oil field in the southwestern city of Ahvaz will be able to process 220,000 barrels a day of crude oil, Mohsen Dahanzadeh, managing director of Karun Oil and Gas Production Co. said, according to the report. Iran’s new calendar year starts on March 21. The plant will ensure production of high-quality oil and prevent possible cuts in output when existing desalination plants in the region undergo maintenance, Dahanzadeh said. Some 40 percent of the construction has been completed, he said. Karun Oil and Gas is a subsidiary of the National Iranian South Oil Co., which is in charge of producing and processing crude from Ahvaz, Mansouri, Ramin and Ab-Teymur oil fields, according to the report. Iran is one of the main producers in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

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