Arya Sasol Polymer Company has produced over 987,000 tons of products during the first six months of the current Iranian year (March-September), registering a new production record in the company’s history.
The output of ASPC increased by 26,000 tons in the six months compared with the same period of last year and helped the company earn $550 million during the first half of the year, the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana reported.
“Arya Sasol polymer products are of world class quality and over 70% of the products are exported to European and Asian countries as well as other parts of the world,” the managing director of the company said.
“According to the company’s development plan, the construction of a new polyethylene unit is underway and will be completed next year,” Mohammad Reza Heydarzadeh added.
According to the company’s chief, the plan will be fully carried out by Iranian experts and engineers, and the company's annual production capacity of 2 million tons will increase by 300,000 tons, raising its profit by about $110 million.
“The project seeks to prevent the sales of raw materials and make maximum use of the company's excess ethylene. According to the plan, after the completion of the unit, four new grades of polyethylene will be added to the Arya Sasol product portfolio,” he said.
“Currently, the surplus ethylene is injected in the form of gas to the West Ethylene Pipeline, delivered to Mehr Petrochemical Company or exported by ship.”
According to the company’s development plan, a new polyethylene unit will become operational next year, increasing its annual production capacity from the current 2 million tons by 300,000 tons
Extending from the port city of Asalouyeh off the Persian Gulf in the south to the northwest, the West Ethylene Pipeline is a 2,800-kilometer pipeline that supplies the ethylene feedstock to 13 petrochemical factories for producing value-added goods worth $2 billion per year.
“Arya Sasol’s products have international certificates, which make it possible to sell them in foreign markets, including Asia and Europe,” he said.
Announcing that ASPC is taking steps to indigenize the needed parts and equipment with the help of local manufacturers, Heydarzadeh said the plan to indigenize more than 600 parts is underway and in the last six months, the manufacturing process of 185 parts has been completed.
Located in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in Asalouyeh Port city, Arya Sasol produces ethylene, polyethylene and other polymers.
Ethylene and its byproducts are used as building block materials for a variety of products, including plastics, detergents and adhesives.
Iran is making efforts to increase the output of ethylene and other olefins due to rising domestic and foreign demand.
According to a report, global ethylene consumption has grown by 4.3% annually from 2014 to 2020 and it is forecast to increase by 3.4% from 2020 to 2028.
North America accounts for 24% of global ethylene consumption and is the largest consumer of this product worldwide. China, the second-largest consumer of ethylene, accounts for 18% of global ethylene consumption. The Middle East, the third-largest consumer, accounts for 18% of global ethylene consumption.
Polyethylene is the world's most versatile and widely produced polymer. High-density polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer produced from monomer ethylene. Commonly recycled, it is used for producing plastic bottles, corrosion-resistant pipes, geo-membranes and plastic lumber.
