Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – November 12, 1996

We reached the airport at seven in the morning. We immediately flew to Ahvaz. Mohsen [Hashemi, Head of the President's Office] and [Messrs. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh, Seyyed Mohammad Gharazi, Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, Isa Kalantari, and Abbas Akhoundi]—the Ministers of Energy, Industries, Telecommunications, Oil, Agriculture, and Housing [and Urban Development]—and my brother Mohammad, [Executive Deputy of the President], and the parliament representatives from [Khuzestan] Province were with me.

At [Ahvaz] Airport, the officials, along with the clerics, had come to welcome us. A martyr's daughter gave an interesting welcome, which it was arranged would be broadcast. We flew by helicopters toward the sugarcane project—the Amir Kabir unit. We landed at the site of the water pumping station. It is pumped by 16 large pumps. With the unveiling of the plaque and the pressing of the pumps' buttons, which gives a lovely scene of the water transfer, it was inaugurated. They filmed the scene with me present.

We went to the sugarcane fields. A great deal of sugarcane has been planted, and they take cuttings to propagate the fields. The growth of the crop has been beyond expectation. I planted several cuttings. They have created an interesting irrigation system. Then, at the site of the sugarcane production factory, there was a ceremony with the report of Engineer [Mehdi] Mofidi, [Managing Director of the Sugarcane Development and By-Products Company], and my remarks on the importance of the sugarcane agro-industry project.

We flew toward the special economic zone of Khorramshahr and Abadan. On the way, with the explanations of Engineer Kamrava, from the air we saw the important project of planting eucalyptus over 25 thousand hectares, using the drainage water of the sugarcane projects, and also the creation of fish farming pools. At the special zone site there was a ceremony. For the inauguration of several factories and the start of work of several other factories and the ceremony for granting the official deeds of the villages' properties, which is beginning for the first time; with several reports and my detailed speech.

Then from the air we saw the dredging of the [Bamanshir] River with the explanations of Mr. [Mohammad-Taqi] Amanpour, [Deputy Minister of Construction Jihad]; it is an important work. Twelve million cubic meters of silt must be removed from the river with two modern dredgers. With the warm welcome of the staff, we landed at the Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex. In the briefing hall, we heard the report of Engineer [Ahmad] Rahgozar, [Managing Director of the Petrochemical Industries Company], about the entire petrochemical industry, and the explanations of Engineer [Gholam-Hossein] Najabat, [Managing Director of the Petrochemical Industries Construction and Installation Company], about the aromatic factory that we had gone to inaugurate; it is an important work. In a period of less than half the time proposed by the German contractor and at a cost of less than half their proposed cost, they built it. Then we visited the factory and broke ground for three units: paraxylene and the M.T.B olefin. I unveiled the project's plaque. At the assembly hall, there was the report of [Mr. Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh], the Oil Minister, and my detailed remarks on the importance and comparative advantage of the petrochemical industries, and an interesting anthem of self-reliance.

We flew to the site of the Ahvaz pipe and rolling mill. On the way we had the explanations of [Mr. Moghimi], the Governor-General [of Khuzestan]. It is a large factory, with a capacity of 600 thousand tons. The project's managing director explained, and we visited the production line. Then we unveiled the project's plaque. After the prayer, at the gathering of the officials, we heard many explanations from various managers, for 1,170 plans and projects that have been inaugurated today.

My brother Mohammad, the Minister of Telecommunications, the Minister of Industries, the Deputy Minister of Interior, the Deputy Minister of Construction Jihad, and the Governor-General gave explanations. I too gave a detailed speech and awarded the Medal of Construction to Mr. [Mohammad-Hossein] Moghimi, the Governor-General [of Khuzestan].

We went to the Ramin Power Plant. Unit Four was inaugurated. After hearing the report of Engineer Salajegheh and the managing director of water and wastewater [of Khuzestan Province], we visited the power plant; it is a huge power plant, with six 315-megawatt units, which is the country's largest power plant. Two of its units are unfinished. At the gathering of the staff, Mr. Zanganeh, [Minister of Energy], gave explanations about the situation of electricity and water and wastewater, and I too spoke about the province's profound progress and the province's better future given the important infrastructural projects under implementation, and I emphasized the provision of safe drinking water and wastewater for the province. Then we went to the airport and flew toward Tehran. We had dinner on the plane. We reached Tehran at twelve at night. I went to my office and immediately went to sleep.