Iran opens major seawater transfer project to Isfahan
Iran has officially opened a major project to transfer desalinated water from the Sea of Oman and other southern waterways to industries in the central province of Isfahan.
President Masoud Pezeshkian inaugurated the water-transfer project by video link on Saturday, as local authorities ordered the release of water into a pool connected to Mobarakeh Steel Company, the largest steelmaker in West Asia.
The project has cost 350 trillion rials ($291 million) and includes the construction of 800 kilometers of pipelines, pumping facilities and storage tanks stretching from the southern city of Sirjan to Mobarakeh Steel, located south of Isfahan Province.
The company has provided most of the project’s funding, including 0.61 million metric tons of steel needed to manufacture the pipelines, according to the government.
Company officials said the project will supply around 0.6 cubic meters of water per second to its manufacturing facilities, allowing the steelmaker to reduce its reliance on the iconic Zayanderud River, which has nearly dried up due to excessive industrial and agricultural use.
In the first phase, the project will deliver around 40 million cubic meters of desalinated water, mostly from the Sea of Oman, to Mobarakeh Steel and other major industries in Isfahan, including the Isfahan Oil Refinery, one of the country’s largest oil processing plants.
Water-transfer capacity is expected to rise to 70 million cubic meters per year in the second phase and could reach up to 200 million cubic meters annually if demand increases, officials said.
Isfahan is one of Iran’s most industrialized regions, but it has long relied on water diversion from neighboring provinces, a situation that has negatively affected agriculture in those areas and fueled growing discontent among farmers.
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