Mohammad Motaghi, Director of Downstream Industry Development at NPC,
told NIPNA that a new executive bylaw has been formulated under Article 48 of
Iran’s Seventh Development Plan. The regulation is aimed at allocating unsold
and non-export-committed petrochemical products to downstream industries across
the value chain.
Motaghi explained that the bylaw, developed in 2025, is designed to
secure feedstock for downstream producers. The NPC will oversee its
implementation through a newly established secretariat comprising
representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, and the Ministry
of Economic Affairs and Finance. Transactions will be facilitated via Iran’s
commodity and energy exchanges.
In addition to easing feedstock access, the initiative will benefit
new petrochemical projects that require existing feedstock sources, he said.
The formation of the secretariat is underway, and the operational phase will
begin once its structure is finalized.
Motaghi highlighted that in 2023, nearly 89 million tonnes of goods
were offered through commodity exchanges in Iran, marking an 8% increase from
the previous year. Of this amount, about 7.2 million tonnes were sold—up 10%
year-on-year.
He noted that credit-based sales surged significantly, accounting for
36–37% of total petrochemical exchange transactions, compared to 26% in
previous years.
“These developments occurred alongside critical supply efforts for
strategic national sectors, including refineries and power plants,” Motaghi
added. He cited that approximately 166,000 tonnes of petrochemical and chemical
products were delivered to these sectors last year.
NPC also continues to play a regulatory role in inter-complex
exchanges, currently overseeing around 450,000 tonnes of inter-company trades,
including support for contract negotiation and pricing, Motaghi said.
He added that 113 petrochemical products have been registered with
customs authorities for export coordination, and a total of 505 products are
currently available in the Iranian market. Of these, 408 are polymer grades produced
by 36 petrochemical companies, while the remainder fall into chemical and
hydrocarbon categories.