Hassan Abbaszadeh, Iran’s deputy oil minister and CEO of the National
Petrochemical Company (NPC), made the announcement during a local development
and planning council meeting.
“We are reviewing regulations for hiring local workers in
petrochemical projects,” Abbaszadeh said.
He added that the approval of a proposed social responsibility
framework by the government would support petrochemical firms seeking to
address regional development challenges.
Hamid Bovard, CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), also
highlighted ongoing efforts to refine the country’s social responsibility
policies, which have been under discussion for years. “In the 14th government,
we redefined these policies with other deputy oil ministers to enhance the
effectiveness of social responsibility initiatives,” he said.
Bovard stressed the need to prioritize local hiring over non-resident
workers. “If companies fail to address this issue, they will bear the
consequences,” he warned, adding that increasing local employment would also
help reduce operational costs.
Abbaszadeh noted that Iran’s oil sector has allocated 64 trillion
rials ($1.3 billion) to social responsibility initiatives, with 20 trillion
rials ($400 million) already spent. The remaining funds will be disbursed
gradually as projects progress.