“With the expansion of AI applications and the
strengthening of digital infrastructure, we can guide the petrochemical
industry’s development more intelligently and effectively,” Hassan Abbaszadeh
said on Monday at the “Digital Maturity Assessment of Industries and Businesses
under the Seventh Development Plan” event. “Using real-time data and modern
technologies enables more accurate decision-making, better market forecasting,
and more efficient investment planning.”
Abbaszadeh noted that while advanced industries
worldwide have widely embraced AI, Iran’s petrochemical sector has yet to reach
a desirable level of digital maturity. Under the country’s Seventh Development
Plan, the Ministry of Petroleum is tasked with advancing digital transformation
and technology integration across the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors.
“We still have a long way to go,” he said. “In
our petrochemical industry, data is not yet fully collected in real time, and
much of it is recorded manually. This limits our ability to make timely and
data-driven decisions.”
The NPC chief recalled earlier years when
petrochemical complexes operated with minimal connectivity. “In those days,
daily production data was faxed to Tehran at dawn, stored in files by 6 a.m.,
and reviewed by managers at 8 a.m. for planning the day’s operations,” he said.
He explained that the new development plan
mandates the installation of smart mass-measuring devices throughout the oil
and gas value chain to enable real-time data collection and transmission. “This
will ensure that data on production, refining, and conversion is accurately
tracked across all stages, supporting informed managerial decisions,”
Abbaszadeh said.
Fragmented data systems hinder integration
Abbaszadeh said data collection within Iran’s
petrochemical sector remains fragmented and “island-like,” with insufficient
integration among systems. The sector, he added, also requires secure data
transmission frameworks due to its high operational and security risks.
“One major challenge is the lack of full
integration between industrial control systems (DCS) and information technology
systems (IT and OT),” he said. “Privatization has further fragmented the data
and management networks across petrochemical companies and holding groups.”
He recalled that when the industry operated under
a unified structure, warehouses across key industrial hubs such as Assaluyeh,
Mahshahr, Tabriz, and Isfahan were digitally connected. “If one complex had a
spare part in stock, another could use it without placing a new order,” he
said. “After privatization, these connections disappeared, leading to higher
costs and lower efficiency.”
Reintegrating these systems, Abbaszadeh argued,
is one of the main goals of NPC’s new digital transformation strategy. “One of
the major outcomes of digitalization can be restoring synergy and reducing
costs through reconnecting data and operational systems across the industry.”
AI to drive strategic and market insights
Abbaszadeh emphasized that the goal of data
integration is to harness the value of existing corporate information through
intelligent analytics. “The question we must answer is: where exactly can AI
create value in the petrochemical industry?” he said. “AI can help us identify
new markets, analyze global trends, and guide the development of new
petrochemical units.”
“By leveraging AI, we can forecast the future of
the industry more precisely and make investment decisions based on scientific
analysis and market needs,” he added. “This ensures that our future expansions
are grounded in real demand and competitive advantage.”
Education and social cooperation
Abbaszadeh also said NPC has begun new
cooperation projects with the Ministry of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) to promote digital equity. “Following the president’s
directive, the petrochemical industry has been tasked with supporting
educational justice and the digitalization of schools,” he said. “This
initiative is being pursued jointly with the ICT ministry, and its outcomes —
expected in the coming months — will deliver significant benefits for the
nation’s children.”