Addressing a conference on social responsibility on Thursday,
Behzad Mohammadi, who is also deputy petroleum minister for petrochemical affairs,
said that the demand for petrochemicals is 4 to 5 times more than that of crude
oil and petroleum products, making the industry more important in terms of
strategy making and development.
He pointed out that the petrochemical industry is the first
industry in the country and ranks first in non-oil exports, adding: “Currently,
64 petrochemical complexes are active in different parts of the country and the
number of these complexes will double in the coming years.”
Mohammadi noted that the petrochemical industry feedstock is
currently equivalent to 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which, by 2026
and 2027, will reach an equivalent of 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day,
which is a huge leap in the use of crude oil and gas resources.