TEHRAN – Head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) has said the country’s annual ethane production is expected to reach five million tons in the near future, Shana reported.

Majid Chegeni made the remarks on Monday, in the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for increasing the ethane production of nine refineries at the country’s South Pars Gas Complex.

“With the implementation of this project, in addition to increasing production, part of the possible shortage of this valuable product will be compensated in the coming years,” Chegeni said.

He put the country’s current annual ethane production at 4.2 million tons, saying that the country has the capacity to produce more than 7.2 million tons of the mentioned gas every year.

Ethane is an organic chemical compound that is isolated on an industrial scale from natural gas and as a petrochemical by-product of petroleum refining. Its main use is as feedstock for ethylene production.

EF/MA