According to NIPNA, Hassan Abbaszadeh said: "The development of industry on the southern coasts of the country is underway due to the water-intensive nature of the petrochemical industry, especially in the provinces of Bushehr and Khuzestan, as well as the Makran region, and the majority of the petrochemical industry is located on the country's coasts. Approximately 48 percent of the petrochemical industrial capacity is in Asaluyeh and about 25 percent is in the Mahshahr region, which use seawater. The rest of the industry is located in the western and northwestern provinces of the country, Isfahan, and several other provinces, the construction of which dates back to previous years, although their number is not large."
The Deputy Minister of Petroleum added: "In the National Petrochemical Company, we will focus the investment of new investors on the Makran region, and considering the emphasis of the Supreme Leader on the necessity of developing this region, efforts will be made to develop this important and strategic region by considering the completion of the petrochemical industry's value chain."
Emphasizing the need for optimal use of water resources in the development path of the petrochemical industry, he continued: "Non-coastal petrochemical companies have been contacted to move towards the use of unconventional water sources such as wastewater treatment. For example, Khorasan Petrochemical used groundwater, but since last year, it has been treating and withdrawing sewage and urban wastewater. Efforts are being made for other petrochemical companies to move in this direction as well, because the Seventh Development Plan Law stipulates that if they withdraw water from dams or river resources in the coming years, it will be calculated at the finished price of treated wastewater."
The CEO of the National Petrochemical Company stated: "The water used by petrochemical companies is very low compared to the total water consumption of the country, at the level of a few tenths of a percent."
According to NIPNA, President Massoud Pezeshkian also said this Monday morning (April 21st) at a meeting to review the statute of the " Blue Economy and Makran Region Development Organization," which was held with the presence of relevant ministers and officials, that all our major cities, especially Tehran, are facing numerous environmental problems, particularly in the area of water supply. He stated: " Blue Economy development is the country's way to survive or overcome crises that a threat like water scarcity can create in our major cities. Therefore, this program must be taken very seriously by all relevant agencies and be placed at the top of their work priorities."
During this meeting, the President, expressed his gratitude for the preparation of this statute, stated: "Any action in the field of Blue Economy development, especially the Makran region, including the preparation of the statute of the Blue Economy Development Organization, must be focused on a comprehensive plan and the definition of overarching goals and prospects for the southern and northern coasts of the country. If we do not have this plan, any action may distance us from the main goal or at least not fully and accurately meet our goals and require subsequent amendments."