Only in the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20, phase II of Kavian Petrochemical Plant, phase two of Karoon plant, the Light Density Polyethylene unit in Kurdistan, phase III of Pardis Petrochemical Plant are among the projects that have either been or will be launched in Iran by the end of the year, said Managing Director of the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Marziyeh Shahdaei.
Addressing reporters on Wednesday, the official said one of the major projects that will come online by the end of the current year is the West Ethylene Pipeline which will supply feedstock to 12 petrochemical units along the country’s western territories.
She said assisting active petrochemical units in reaching their full potentials while helping finish under-construction projects and facilitating attraction of foreign direct investments and knowledge transfer to the country are NPC’s chief missions after privatization of the petrochemical industry of Iran.
The official further added that creation of new petrochemical hubs in various parts of the country is a concern for NPC, saying the company is conducting studies for developing petrochemical hubs in areas like the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
Shahdaei, who is also deputy petroleum minister in petrochemical affairs, added that NPC has held talks and inked documents with leading chemical companies like BASF, Total, Linde, Mitsui and Sojitz for financing or developing petrochemical projects in Iran.
BASF has agreed to finance $4b to $4.6b for carrying out a project in Iran with the cooperation of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC).
“We have also recently held talks with three Germany banks, 4 Japanese banks and financial institutes and an English-Danish bank regarding insurance coverage and offering finances and usance for a number of petrochemical projects in Iran.