Tasnim � Governor of Ilam, an underprivileged province west of Iran, announced plans for the launch of two major oil and gas projects in the province which he said would contribute to its development.

In comments on Monday, Qassem Soleimani Dashtaki said the two energy projects, dubbed �Dana� and �Danan�, will kick off in the province next month with an investment of 1.8 trillion Iranian tomans (about $135mln).

Financed by the National Development Fund, one of the projects will focus on the development of Danan oil field, he added.

The governor said the other project will be carried out by a seismology and geophysics company for the exploration of oil and gas in the Bijar canyon during a 3-year period, noting that it would pave the way for the construction of the second phase of Ilam Gas Refinery.

The province of Ilam, which borders Iraq, has several oil and gas fields, including Cheshme Khosh oil field in Dehloran.

Based on studies, there are 23 joint hydrocarbon fields between Iran and Iraq which are divided into exploration, development and production categories.