TEHRAN- Iran’s petrochemical production will rise four percent by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2016), according to National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NPC) Managing Director Abbas Sha’ri-Moqaddam. 

The official said, “Iran’s petrochemical output was planned to increase 10 percent in the current calendar year compared to the previous year, but the West-engineered sanctions imposed against the country was a hindrance to materialize this objective”, the IRNA news agency reported.

Iran produced over 38 million tons of petrochemical products in the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2015- January 20, 2016), according to Ali-Mohammad Basaqzadeh, the control manager of the NPC.

Basaqzadeh said that Iran’s petrochemical production is forecast to rise 8-12 percent in the next calendar year, which will begin on March 20, 2016. 

The country’s petrochemical complexes are planned to use 81 percent of their nominal production capacity by the end of current Iranian year, he added. 

On January 27, Marzieh Shahdaie, the director for projects at the NPC, said while there are some petrochemical projects currently underway in Iran, 30 new projects have been also drawn up to be implemented in the post-sanctions time. 

Iran plans to raise its petrochemical production to around 129 million tons by the end of the country’s sixth five-year development plan (2021).    

Officials say the country has the capacity to produce 60 million tons of petrochemicals per annum.   

Last December, Mohammad-Hassan Peyvandi, the deputy managing director of the NPC, said Iran’s annual petrochemical output is planned to reach 46 million tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2016).   

He put the country’s petrochemical production at 44 million tons in the previous calendar year.   

In a ceremony held in Tehran on December 28, 2015 to celebrate the 51st establishment anniversary of the NPC, Peyvandi said petrochemical industry can crown Iranian economy, because many other industries of the country are relying on it.  

MA