Substantial negotiations have been conducted with Russia, Uzbekistan,
Armenia, India, Pakistan, Africa, and countries in the Far East, leading to an
expansion of foreign collaborations in areas such as catalyst sales, chemical
materials, technical and engineering services, and equipment supply, said Morteza
Shahmirzai.
He extended congratulations on the occasion of the Government Week and
paid tribute to the memory of martyrs Rajai and Bahonar.
He emphasized the importance of value chain development in the
petrochemical industry for the country's economy. He asserted that the
petrochemical industry brings value addition, revenue generation, employment
opportunities, poverty alleviation, and the completion of various industrial
chains to the nation through its development.
The NPC CEO underscored the need for the development of complementary
industries, especially in the face of unjust sanctions against Iran.
Shahmirzai noted that the petrochemical industry symbolizes economic
resilience and domestic economic growth in the realm of non-oil exports.
The CEO of the National Petrochemical Company referred to the
expansion of international relations in the thirteenth government and stated
that the company seeks to increase collaborations with neighboring and
like-minded countries during this term. Extensive negotiations have taken place
with Russia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, India, Pakistan, Africa, and countries in the
Far East, leading to the expansion of Iran's foreign collaborations in the
petrochemical industry, encompassing catalyst and chemical material sales,
technical and engineering services, and equipment supply.
Shahmirzai regarded value chain completion planning as the most
significant action in the thirteenth government, emphasizing that the National
Petrochemical Company, as the industry's regulator and policymaker, has
developed and conveyed a value chain development document in the petrochemical
industry.
He stated, "In line with achieving this goal, the National
Petrochemical Company introduces investment opportunities in the petrochemical
value chain to increase value addition and income, reduce crude and
semi-finished sales, address existing deficiencies in the country's value chain
to reduce imports, achieve self-sufficiency in the domestic market, enhance
resilience, reduce foreign exchange dependency, generate employment, diversify
product portfolios, and consequently introduce export destinations to
investors."
The CEO of the National Petrochemical Company continued, "Value
chain projects in the form of 20 packages covering five propylene, methanol,
ethylene, aromatic, and butylene chains have been presented with an annual
nominal capacity of 3.8 million tons and an investment of $4.2 billion, capable
of producing $4.4 billion worth of various downstream products annually."
Shahmirzai emphasized that value chain projects have been communicated
to holding companies based on their access to required feedstock. Some of the
holding companies have already taken steps towards investment in this area,
resulting in the issuance of several preliminary agreements for value chain
projects.
He highlighted the petrochemical industry as a prominent example of
preventing crude sales, noting that the industry currently converts over 1
million barrels of hydrocarbon resources into valuable petrochemical products
daily. In 1401, this sector contributed around $27 billion to the country's
revenue.
Shahmirzai disclosed the opening of five petrochemical projects by the
end of 1402, adding that the capacity of the petrochemical industry will
increase by 2.5 million tons through new operationalization during the
thirteenth government's term.
He reported that 85% of the export sales in 1400, equivalent to $12.7
billion, and 91% of the export sales in 1401, equivalent to $14.55 billion,
were made by petrochemical production complexes through the NIMA currency
platform.
Shahmirzai affirmed the National Petrochemical Company's alignment
with national policy and maximum utilization of domestic capabilities. He
stated that numerous actions have been taken within the company through
collaboration with knowledge-based firms. As a result, 107 knowledge-based
companies were identified in 1400, and 234 in 1401, for cooperation in the
construction and implementation of equipment within the petrochemical industry.
The CEO of the National Petrochemical Company highlighted that over
85% of petrochemical catalysts are now localized. He further noted that the
Petrochemical Research and Technology Company has committed to indigenous
production of all required petrochemical catalysts by the end of the thirteenth
government's term.