”The project was launched 18 years ago but had made little progress until three years ago when it picked up pace under the government’s auspices and thanks to the financial support of NDFI. The refinery is expected to become operational next year,” Morteza Shahidzadeh added. Once launched, the refinery will play a significant role in the expansion of downstream petrochemical sector, NDFI’s website reported on Saturday. It will supply feedstock to an array of petrochemical units in the region through a 1,200-kilometer pipeline—known as the West Ethylene Pipeline—that runs from Asalouyeh in the south all the way to West Azarbaijan Province in the northwest, Financial Tribune reported.