Zeinab Gheysari, speaking during a visit to the Mahshahr Petrochemical
Special Economic Zone, said the priorities include full implementation of the
Seventh Development Plan, revising the statute of the National Petrochemical
Company (NPC), and establishing an independent regulatory body for the
petrochemical industry.
Gheysari said the visit aimed to assess development plans, review
project progress and identify operational bottlenecks across companies in the
region. She noted that a separate meeting with chief executives of local
petrochemical firms was held to gather direct reports on obstacles, operational
concerns and industry-wide demands.
“Our central goal is to remove barriers facing this strategic sector
so that companies can focus on development projects, value-chain completion and
improving competitiveness,” she said.
Gheysari emphasised that several provisions in the Seventh Development
Plan were designed to support petrochemical growth, but their full impact depends
on preventing companies from being drawn into “secondary challenges unrelated
to production”. She added that Parliament has mapped out the sector’s priority
issues to guide legislative and oversight efforts.
The lawmaker said revising the NPC statute is underway, with a joint
committee established to review the legal framework. She noted that the aim is
to restore NPC’s role as a development-oriented body after two decades of
privatisation, allowing it to better coordinate, support and guide the sector.
Gheysari also said the creation of an independent petrochemical
regulator is being evaluated as part of a broader structural reform package.
According to her, the three measures form “interlocking components of a single
framework” intended to enhance long-term growth, increase foreign currency
revenue and expand production of high-value petrochemical products.
She said the 12th Parliament “stands fully behind the petrochemical
industry” and highlighted that the sector has been among the most compliant
with the Seventh Development Plan’s mandates. Ensuring stable feedstock supply
and removing export constraints, she added, are now the key responsibilities of
lawmakers.
Addressing the role of Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex, Gheysari
said the company faces many of the same challenges confronting the wider
industry, but also requires special focus on development, modernisation and
refurbishment due to its age. She noted that past delays in redevelopment
projects at older facilities, such as Abadan Petrochemical, underline the
importance of timely investment.
She described Bandar Imam as a leading producer with substantial
output, diversified products and a complete value chain, and said the
development report presented by its chief executive showed “promising
progress”.
Gheysari added that Parliament expects the complex to maintain full
focus on advancing its development projects, adding that lawmakers will work to
remove obstacles to ensure their completion. She expressed hope that several of
the complex’s expansion projects will enter operation in the near future.