According to a report by the National Petrochemical Company, petrochemical complexes across the country average 85% of their production capacity, while Nouri Petrochemical Company’s output in the last Iranian year (March 2021-22) was 103% of the nominal capacity, the latter’s managing director said.
“With an output 13% higher than the national average, the company produced 4.6 million tons of various products last year,” Taqi Sanei was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana.
The uptrend in production has continued and since the beginning of the current fiscal year (March 21), the company has produced 106% of its installed capacity, he added.
Located in southern Bushehr Province, Nouri is one of the world’s largest production plants for aromatics. It is a subsidiary of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, the biggest consortium of Iranian petrochemical producers.
The plant's output, which includes benzene, paraxylene, orthoxylene and raffinate, are mainly shipped to Persian Gulf Arab countries as well India, China and South Korea.
Emphasizing that the company has no problems in procuring parts, chemicals and catalysts despite sanctions, Sanei said, “Nouri Petrochemical Company has localized 290 complex parts, catalysts and chemicals last year by relying on local experts and engineers.”
Environmental Measures
Sanei also referred to receiving Iran’s green industry award at the 23rd National Conference on Green Industries, Mines and Service Units earlier this year as another achievement of the company.
The award, given annually by the Department of Environment, is presented to industries that have taken major steps in various environmental fields.
In doing its fair share to help preserve the environment, Nouri signed a contract with the engineering company Namvaran to recover flare gas, which project will be completed in about two years.
Gas flaring refers to the combustion of associated petroleum gas generated during various processes in oil and gas refineries, and petrochemical plants.
Flare gas recovery is the process of recovering waste gases that are normally burnt, so they can be used as fuel. Among other things, it results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Systems recovering and repurposing gases and emissions, such as methane/LPGs and sulfur dioxide, are specialized compression packages.
Nouri Petrochemical Company’s project will recycle heavy compounds from sour gas primarily to reduce environmental pollution by removing toxic sulfur compounds in gases produced in different units of the plant.
It will contribute to productivity and profitability by extracting heavy hydrocarbons in the gas, including liquefied petroleum gas.
In the process, sulfur compounds separated from gas will be converted into ammonium sulfate in a separate unit, which is a fertilizer used in the agro sector.
According to Sanei, the company has started producing low-sulfur fuel to conform with the International Maritime Organization’s new regulations for a 0.5% global sulfur cap for marine fuels.
Machinery and equipment in the plant have been upgraded to reduce the current sulfur level in mazut and diesel from 3.5% to 0.5%.
The company has invested $120 million to build a (heavy end) refining facility in which sulfur content in mazut and diesel will be reduced to less than 0.5%.
Under the new global cap, as of January 2020, ships had to use marine fuels with a sulfur content of not more than 0.5% against the current limit of 3.5% in an effort to reduce the amount of sulfur oxide, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts.
