TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji has said 13 petrochemical industry parks are going to be constructed in the country which will create job opportunities for over 20,000 people, Shana reported.

Speaking on national TV on Sunday night, Oji said the mentioned parks are going to be constructed in southern Iran where most of the country’s oil and gas reserves lay.

According to the official, the Oil Ministry first identified 29 areas in four provinces on the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and after assessing the mentioned areas 13 sites have been finally chosen based on studies of land, the possibility of providing feed and the availability of ancillary facilities.

Mentioning a meeting with First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and some experts and oil industry officials, as well as the representatives of some major petrochemical complexes on Sunday, Oji said that the resources for the implementation of these parks are going to be supplied by the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC), bank facilities, and some private investment.

“These parks will be established in four provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan-Baluchestan,” he added.

“One of the main duties of the Oil Ministry is to prevent the sale of raw materials and to complete the oil industry’s value chain, which is emphasized by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,” Oji said.

Mentioning the country’s petrochemical capacity, the minister said: “Today there are 60 petrochemical complexes in the country whose 70 percent of major products are exported in the form of semi-crude products, and the other 30 percent is consumed inside the country.”

Saying that the completion of the value chain is one of the priorities of the Oil Ministry, Oji added: “In this regard, a plan has been made to complete the value chain for the mentioned 70 percent of products; this can create added value, prevent the outflow of revenues, generate higher income and create jobs.”

Establishing petchem parks to create employment: VP

Mohammad Mokhber who had also attended the meeting with Oji on Sunday to discuss the establishment of the mentioned petrochemical parks emphasized that dynamism in the petrochemical fields is one of the country's main advantages.

“The marine economy and the oil industry value chain in southern Iran are very important and should be focused on by the 13th government with proper and timed planning for the prosperity of this part of the country's economy,” Mokhber said.

The first vice president considered the establishment of petrochemical parks and petro-refineries on the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as a major driving force for the maritime economy and job creation in the region and added: “The implementation of these petrochemical settlements on the seashore is one of the important and priority plans of the government.”

EF/MA