TEHRAN – Iran is planning to indigenize nine major catalysts used in the petrochemical industries within the next two years, Shana reported, quoting the managing director of the country’s Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC).

“We plan to produce over $100m worth of petrochemical catalysts annually, by the end of the Iranian calendar year of 1400 (March 20, 2022),” Ali Pajouhan said.

According to the official, National Petrochemical Company (NPC) has already signed 20 contracts with knowledge-based companies for mass production of catalysts and 70 research projects are also underway in this regard.

Noting that the country’s petrochemical industry is currently using 40 different types of catalysts which cost the industry $260 million annually, the official added: “Currently, the knowledge for producing 16 of the mentioned 40 types has been indigenized which would save the country $105 million every year.”

In early January, NPC held a seminar on the indigenization of petrochemical industry catalysts in Kish Island.

According to the seminar’s Executive Secretary Mohammad-Amin Ebrahimi, the mentioned seminar was aimed to create a common language and synergy between catalyst producers and consumers and also to provide a platform to discuss and evaluate the performance of the native catalysts.

Back in September 2019, Pajouhan had said that the country’s petrochemical complexes were keen on utilizing domestic catalysts in their operations.

The official noted that significant steps were taken for the domestic production of catalysts used in petrochemical processes in Iran.

Petrochemical is Iran's most important industry after oil and gas. The National Petrochemical Company hopes to lift output capacity to 120 million tons per annum by 2022.

The petrochemical industry has played a key role in domestic economic growth as it creates value-added and reduces the sale of oil and gas on which the economy has been dependent for decades.

With abundant hydrocarbon reserves and new private sector investments, Iran is working hard to maintain its global status in the key sector and broaden its scope.

EF/MA