Speaking to
reporters on Monday on the sidelines of a ceremony marking cooperation
agreements between NPC and Shiraz Petrochemical and Pardis Petrochemical,
Shakeri said damage to the petrochemical industry could be divided into two
main areas: utilities and specific production processes.
He said
reconstruction efforts were underway in both areas, with the rehabilitation of
utilities being continuously pursued. Recovery of capacity in Asaluyeh and
Mahshahr, Iran’s two main petrochemical hubs, was progressing, and efforts were
being made to restore a significant share of the remaining lost capacity by the
end of the year.
“About 60% of
the lost capacity has so far returned to operation,” Shakeri said.
He added that
some production cuts during the summer had been caused by electricity supply
restrictions, while the petrochemical industry could face further restrictions
in winter because of the existing imbalance between gas supply and demand.
Shakeri said
the overall condition of the petrochemical industry in terms of recovered
capacity and readiness for production was satisfactory, adding that the
situation was expected to improve further as reconstruction continued.
Winter
feedstock supplies
On the supply
of feedstock to petrochemical plants during winter, Shakeri said restrictions
had traditionally been imposed on some industries during the cold season as
household gas consumption increased.
He said the
petrochemical industry had also been affected by such restrictions and that
efforts were underway to improve the situation by the end of the year.
Shakeri also
referred to the loss of about 230 million cubic meters of the country’s gas
processing capacity during the war. Efforts by the National Iranian Gas Company
and National Iranian Oil Company had restored part of the lost capacity,
although shortages remained, he said.
The NPC chief
said the company was seeking to minimize the impact of the war and the
resulting capacity reductions on the petrochemical industry.
He said
conditions facing the industry this year were different, prompting NPC to
pursue the “Nabz Energy” energy-saving campaign more vigorously.
Shakeri
called on households and other energy consumers to support the national
campaign, saying lower energy consumption could help free up additional
supplies for industry and ease feedstock challenges facing petrochemical
complexes.