Emphasizing the directive from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic
Revolution to operationalize science in a technical and specialized manner,
reflecting the government's agenda, Morteza Shahmirzai highlighted that today,
catalyst production in the petrochemical industry is at the forefront of new
technologies in the field of chemical materials and reactions worldwide. It is
imperative for companies, holdings, and capital owners to shift their focus
solely to domestic power and capabilities and refrain from imports, he added.
Shahmirzai made these remarks during the 10th Petrochemical Industry
Excellence Awards ceremony, underscoring the excellent position of Iran's
petrochemical industry in the country's economic and industrial development.
The head of the Petrochemical Industry Excellence Awards noted that
hosting such an event rapidly brings us to the edges of knowledge,
profitability, and value chain completion, asserting that the participation of
petrochemical companies in the awards ceremony not only benefits themselves but
also paves the way for the country's future and economy.
He further stated that the petrochemical industry is thriving in
various regions of the country, including Makran, Parsian Energy, Mahshahr,
Asalouyeh, and along the ethylene pipeline route in western Iran.
Creating groundwork for extensive presence of petrochemical projects
and complexes in Excellence Awards
The NPC CEO stressed the need to create the groundwork for the
extensive presence of petrochemical projects and complexes in the Excellence
Awards, stating that active petrochemical companies play a crucial role in
economic and industrial development and it is incumbent upon us, as
industrialists, to strive diligently and intelligently towards utilizing all
available capacities in line with the Islamic Revolution's principles.
Shahmirzai continued by mentioning the recent exhibition held in honor
of the Fajr Decade, during which the esteemed Leader expressed satisfaction
with the indigenization of technologies and innovations in the country, urging
serious efforts towards reducing raw sales and internalizing industrial needs.
The Petroleum Deputy Minister reiterated the commitment to ending the
113-year dependence on various oil industry catalysts by the end of the
government's term, emphasizing the strategic plans of the petrochemical
industry to complete the value chain, indigenize petrochemical catalysts,
achieve self-sufficiency in goods and equipment, and acquire the necessary
technical knowledge for the industry.
"We are currently at an 85% level of indigenous production of
petrochemical goods and equipment," he noted, pointing out the
commencement of the five-year plan for the domestication of all petrochemical
industry goods and equipment last year, with four years remaining until the end
of this path.
Investment in construction of petchem parks, necessary
Shahmirzai highlighted the ongoing implementation of 125 petrochemical
projects across the country, adding that the construction of 13 petrochemical
parks by the Persian Gulf Holding is vigorously pursued, and other holdings can
also invest in this area.
He also mentioned the domestic production of cold boxes for Jam
Petrochemical Complex, four rows of boilers for the Dena Petrochemical project,
and the first arm of the cryogenic loading, stressing the support of the National
Petrochemical Company for all capable Iranian manufacturers involved in
producing industrial goods and equipment.
The petrochemical industry has generated over $16 billion in revenue
in the year 1401 (which ended on March 2023), Shahmirzai noted, adding that
this year, due to the decline in global prices of petrochemical products and
increased supply of petrochemical products through credit sales to domestic
industrial units, this figure is expected to decrease.
Over 75 trillion Tomans have been allocated for credit sales of petrochemical
products from the beginning of this year until now, he said, stating that 1.3
million tons of products that were directly exported have been supplied
domestically, contributing to the growth of domestic units.
The 10th Petrochemical Industry Excellence Awards ceremony was
attended by Seyed Soltan Mortazavi, Minister of Cooperation, Labor, and Social
Welfare, Morteza Shahmirzai, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and NPC CEO,
Vahidreza Zidifar, Deputy of Engineering, Research and Technology of the
Ministry of Petroleum, Abdul Hossein Bayat, Chairman of the Boards of Directors
of Oil Industry Pension Funds, Abdul Ali Ali-Askari, CEO of Persian Gulf
Petrochemical Industries Company, and Babak Afghahi, CEO of Oil, Gas, and
Petrochemical Investment Company (TOPICO), under the slogan "Production
Growth with a Focus on Strengthening the Supply Chain," held at the
International Broadcasting Conference Center.