Construction work on a major petroleum coke plant has begun in southern Iran, and authorities hope the $2.2 billion project will help cut the country's significant import bill and create thousands of jobs in the region, Tasnim reported

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji launched the project at a refinery in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf Coast on Saturday along with a senior aide to Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

According to Ovji, the project will significantly increase and diversify production at the Bandar Abbas refinery and create about 8,000 new jobs.

Iran has imported needle and sponge petroleum coke for years for its steel mills and aluminum smelters, but now has the technology to produce it domestically. Once completed, the Bandar Abbas refinery is expected to produce 620,000 metric tons of sponge coke per year.