Ali Rabbani, head of energy consumption optimisation at the National
Petrochemical Company, said such savings would amount to 15–25 million cubic
metres of gas and help ensure more stable production in the petrochemical
sector.
Speaking at a ceremony to sign agreements on reducing energy
consumption, Rabbani said better coordination among government bodies,
universities, industry groups and petrochemical companies was essential to
safeguarding national resources and creating added value for the economy.
He said Iran’s petrochemical industry had entered its second year of a
programme to cut energy use by 10%, noting that operational units had reduced
gas consumption by the equivalent of 1.7 billion cubic metres over the past
four years. This year, 84 efficiency projects are under way, which he said
could save a further 260 million cubic metres of gas.
Rabbani said the petrochemical sector receives about 10% of the gas
supplied through Iran’s national grid but generates roughly 65% of targeted
subsidy revenues from gas sales, highlighting the sector’s outsized economic
contribution.
He added that around 70% of gas injected into the grid is consumed by
households, commercial users and small industries, arguing that even a 10% cut
in that segment would exceed the total winter gas allocation to the
petrochemical industry for feedstock and power generation.
Rabbani said petrochemical producers generate more than 90% of their
own electricity and called for fair pricing policies, particularly for power
plant gas, to avoid penalising higher-efficiency facilities.
He cited a pilot programme last year in Mazandaran province, where
140,000 households cut gas consumption by 41 million cubic metres over two
months, enabling social benefits including the provision of wheelchairs to
children in need, without public funding.
Rabbani said broader public participation was being encouraged through
educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and the media,
stressing that the goal was not to reduce living standards but to promote more
efficient and responsible energy use.
He invited the public to join the initiative through the “Nabz-e
Energy” platform, saying wider engagement could strengthen the economy and
improve household welfare.