Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (Petzone) in Khuzestan Province plays a key role in boosting Iran’s status in the global arena and its collaboration with tech firms can further help meet domestic needs and sell petrochemical products in international markets.
Omid Shahidinia, managing director of the zone, made the statement while addressing managers of tech firms and knowledge-based companies affiliated to Iran's Pardis Technology Park, who were touring petrochemical plants in Mahshahr on Tuesday, IRNA reported.
The managers visited Bu Ali Sina, Maroun, Karoun, Fanavaran, Arvand, Razi, Amirkabir, Bandar Imam and Tondgouyan petrochemical companies.
The Petzone accounts for 30% of all petrochemical commodities produced in Iran, he added.
“The annual production capacity of Iran's petrochemical industry is currently 90 million tons, of which 27 million tons are produced in the economic zone and this can increase provided that tech firms and Petzone team up and embark on joint ventures,” he said.
“The Petzone’s petrochemical units create value-added and reduces the sale of oil and gas on which the economy has been dependent for decades.”
Shahidinia noted that petrochemical plants in the zone have already indigenized a range of catalysts, pumps, valves, turbines and centrifuges, adding that collaboration with knowledge-based enterprises will give momentum to implementation of projects in the region.
Petrochemical plants in the zone have already indigenized a range of catalysts, pumps, valves, turbines and centrifuges. Ties with knowledge-based enterprises will give momentum to the implementation of projects in the region
“A total of 33 plans have been defined in the zone and Pardis Technology Park can perform a major role in funding and implementing them in the shortest possible time.”
According to the official, the Petzone is willing to expand its collaboration with the park and a much larger space will be allocated to startups in the zone.
Pardis Technology Park is based in Pardis, a satellite town 20 km east of Tehran.
Established by Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, it offers free and subsidized working space for technology companies and emerging startups.
According to the park’s website (techpark.ir), it hosts 132 startups and knowledge-based companies, including Asan Pardakht Persian and Saman Electronic Payment (payment service providers), AsiaTech (internet service provider), Saman Satellite Communications (telecom service provider) and Shezan (startup accelerator).
Stretching over 3,000 hectares, the Petzone is located along the northern coast of the Persian Gulf in Mahshahr. It was built to promote industrial development, especially in the upstream and downstream sectors by attracting new technologies and creating jobs.
The zone is a key industrial region on the southern flank of the oil province that is dotted with petrochemical facilities.
The zone has access to international waters through Bandar Imam Port and is connected to Turkey and Central Asian countries by railroad.
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.
Projects to Help Reduce Imports
According to Hassan Abbaszadeh, the National Petrochemical Company’s director for planning and development, 33 projects have been planned to help reduce the import of petrochemical products worth over $1 billion.
“Annually, about $1.5 billion of petrochemical products are imported. However, with the help of 33 development projects, their import will decline by 70%,” he said.
“With the implementation of these projects, NPC also seeks to diversify the range of petrochemical products and complete the value chain in the petrochemical industry.”
The official noted that development projects, which need an investment of $3 billion, will use the remaining feedstock to produce about 20 new commodities, including acrylic acid and propylene oxide.
Currently, 50 projects are underway across the country to increase petrochemical output and develop the downstream sector.
Abbaszadeh said Iran’s revenues from the petrochemical industry will grow by 230% in the next six years.
Annual revenues from the petrochemical industry will reach $50 billion by 2027. Last year, Iran exported around $15 billion of petrochemicals.
Iran did not attract significant foreign investments in this period and had to rely on its own resources, because of international and US sanctions.
According to NPC, 67 petrochemical plants across the country received 40 million tons of feedstock, including condensates, ethane, natural gas and naphtha, in the last fiscal year, which was equivalent to 1 million barrels of crude per day.
The figure is expected to surpass 2 million barrels per day in six years.
