Iran broke ground Thursday on the construction of its 150,000 barrel a day Anahita refinery in western Kermanshah province, the Oil Ministry's Shana news agency reported Saturday.

Iran's Social Security Organization, Retirement Fund and the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Co. each respectively hold 55%, 25% and 20% of the project, according to Shana.

The refinery will need an estimated $3.13 billion in investment, and is slated to produce 5.2 million liters of gasoline per day, 1.3 million liters a day of super gasoline, 4.9 million liters a day of kerosene, 2.7 million liters per day of kiln oil, 350 tons per day of liquid gas, 280 tons a day of sulfur and 5,000 barrels a day of tar, Shana reported.

The types of heavy and light oil feedstock the refinery will use will determine its production capacity for gasoline, Shana said.

Eighty-five percent of the refinery's feedstock will be provided by the country's North Dezful oilfield and 15% from Iran's Naft-Shahr, Maleh-Kouh and Serkan oilfields, according to Shana.

The Anahita refinery is scheduled to begin operations by the second half of 2012, Shana said.

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