Three petrochemical projects belonging to the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company in Asalouyeh, Bushehr Province, are underway and will be completed soon.
In a visit to the projects, the deputy for planning and business development at PGPIC said the construction of urea and ammonia units of Hengam Petrochemical Complex has registered 86% progress.
“The pre-launch of the units is expected to happen in February 2023,” Hassan Neshanzadeh was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana.
Using natural gas as its key feedstock, Hengam Petrochemical Complex will have an annual petrochemical capacity of 1.89 million tons.
With 1.16 million tons per annum, the urea unit accounts for a major share of the total annual production capacity of the complex (61.4%). The ammonia unit will have 38.6% of the output share, producing 730,000 tons of ammonia.
The complex has signed deals with Iranian catalyst providers for the supply of catalysts needed for the production of urea and ammonia.
Eight catalysts are used for urea and ammonia production, all of which have been localized and the country no longer needs to import them.
The main use of ammonia is in the production of fertilizers. It is also used in the production of ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, mono ammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, urea and other fertilizers.
Urea is mainly used as fertilizer in the agriculture field and as raw material in other industries.
Methanol, ESBR Production
Neshanzadeh said the construction of the methanol unit at the Persian Gulf Apadana Petrochemical Complex has made 84% progress.
The unit is expected to begin production next Iranian year (March 2023-24), he added.
The project is under the license of the Swiss company Casale that offers a range of services for the production of ammonia, urea, melamine and methanol.
With an annual production capacity of 1.65 million tons, the unit will cost $511 million. Its methanol will have a purity of 99.9% and the entire output will be for export.
Referring to a development project at Sadaf Petrochemical Company, Neshanzadeh said the construction of an emulsion-styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) production unit has registered 73% progress.
The unit will help triple the production capacity of ESBR, which is the plant’s main product.
The unit will have a capacity of 136,000 tons per year, half of which will be exported.
Key equipment and machinery, including tanks, pipes and taps, as well as civil engineering services, have been provided by domestic manufacturers. Upon completion, 80% of catalysts will also be purchased from Iranian firms.
Pars and Jam petrochemical plants will supply 45,000 tons of styrene, 83,000 tons of butadiene and 25,000 tons of aromatic oils as feedstock to the project.
ESBR is largely used to manufacture tires and industrial rubber goods for the automotive industry.
