TEHRAN- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the most domestically-manufactured petrochemical complex of the country in Gachsaran county in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh Boyer-Ahmad province on Monday.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the president said that the Gachsaran petrochemical complex, which was mostly constructed by Iranian specialists, manifests resistance in the face of [U.S.-imposed] sanctions.

Oil Minister Javad Oji, for his part, said that over 83 percent of the project has been constructed by the local workforce, adding that the project helps save over 269 million euros.

This national plan annually receives 1.25 million tons of ethane feed through a 90-km long pipeline from Bid Boland Gas Refinery in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the minister stated.

The petrochemical industry plays a crucial role in Iran’s non-oil economy, as petrochemical export is the second-largest source of revenue for the country after crude oil. Petrochemical exports already constitute nearly 33 percent of the country’s non-oil exports.

According to National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Managing Director Morteza Shahmirzaei, the petrochemical industry is a value and job-creating industry, which has no risk.

The official said that 69 production units (including three service units that provide services such as water, electricity, and steam for production units) are now active in the petrochemical industry of Iran, which plays a significant role in bringing foreign currency to the country.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shahmirzaei stressed that domestic production should be realized in all sectors of the petrochemical industry.

A small part is still remaining so that this target will be achieved, he added.

MA