Mohsen Zangeneh, chairman of the commission, said the petrochemical
industry represented a major opportunity for Iran and had delivered significant
achievements, praising employees at Shiraz Petrochemical and other companies
across the sector.
Jaafar Ghadiri, another commission member, described Shiraz
Petrochemical as the first petrochemical complex in the Middle East and said
the country’s economic growth and development were closely linked to the
petrochemical industry.
He called for greater investment in downstream industries and the
development of value chains for oil, gas and petrochemical products to generate
greater economic value from the country’s hydrocarbon resources.
Ghadiri also said Iran should expand its use of solar and other
renewable energy sources while directing more oil and gas toward the production
of higher-value petrochemical products.
During the visit on Friday, Sept. 18, the lawmakers reviewed the
operational challenges facing Shiraz Petrochemical and stressed the need for a
stable supply of feedstock, equipment modernization, downstream development and
directing petrochemical revenues toward investment and expansion.
The visit was part of the commission’s broader review of
production-related issues and industrial development in Fars province.