Iran to build more petrochemical parks in future
By Sara Rajabova
Iran plans to build 300 new petrochemical parks in the next four years, a National Petrochemical Company (NPC) official Ramezan Owladi said, Press TV reported.
The main objective behind the plan is to reduce the export of raw petrochemical products and to create added value and new jobs, Owladi noted.
So far, the plans for building and commissioning 12 new petrochemical parks have been finalized in 12 different Iranian provinces, with the southern provinces of Khuzestan and Bushehr being top priority, the NPC official said.
Moreover, Iran plans to allocate some facilities to enhance the production capacity of the country's downstream petrochemical, polymer and plastic industries, Owladi pointed out.
Iran has expanded the range and volume of its petrochemical production significantly over the past few years, and the NPC has become the second largest producer and exporter of petrochemicals in the Middle East.
The country exported a total of 18.2 million tons of petrochemical and polymer products, worth about $14.2 billion, to more than 60 countries in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2013).
Iran produced 10.6 million tons of petrochemical products in the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21.
According to Mehr News Agency, Iran's current petrochemical production capacity is around 60 million tons.
The country also plans to export 17.4 million tons worth $13 billion in the current year.
Iran's petrochemical exports to China and African countries are on the rise.
China's imports currently account for 27.2 percent of Iran's total exports. Europe with 6.5 percent, Africa with 6.2 percent, Middle East with 31.3 percent, Far East with 18.5 percent, and India with 10.3 percent are the other major destinations for Iranian petrochemicals.
Besides, Iran also plans to establish 18 new petrochemical complexes, special for downstream industries.
Recently, Deputy Head of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Kioumars Fathollah Kermanshahi has said that Iranian experts have turned the West's sanctions against the country into opportunities through unity and unsparing efforts, adding that Iran's petrochemical exports rose up in the last Iranian year (ended March 20) due to the same efforts.