Attempts are underway to start the export of products by petrochemical companies based in Mokran Petrochemical Town in Chabahar County, Sistan-Baluchetan Province, to international markets within a year, said the managing director of the Negin Mokran Petrochemical Development Company, as the developer of the industrial and non-industrial infrastructure of the town.
“Mokran Petrochemical Town is under construction on an area of 1,200 hectares in Chabahar Free Zone and another 600 hectares in the northern side of the town will be also allocated to the development of the downstream petrochemical chain in the near future,” Alireza Moniri Abyaneh was also quoted as saying by the National Petrochemical Company’s news service Nipna.
The construction of 18 production units has been planned in the town. When completed, Chabahar will become Iran’s third petrochemical hub after Mahshahr in the southwest and Asalouyeh in the south, he added.
About $13.7 billion have been invested in the construction of Mokran Petrochemical Town. It will create employment for thousands of people when it becomes fully operational in the coming years.
The petrochemical town is located 20 km from Chabahar and 35 km from Shahid Beheshti Port.
With the completion of the first phase of the project, which includes five propylene units, one ammonia and urea unit, and one LNG unit, more than 12,000 people will be employed in the town.
All the units will be supplied with methane gas delivered via a pipeline from Iranshahr and have a production capacity of 8.5 million tons of various products per annum.
IGAT-7
The feedstock of the petrochemical units will be supplied through the seventh branch of Iran gas trunkline (IGAT-7).
Other services required by processing units are designed to be distributed and transferred independently from the Utility Center to the units under construction. In this regard, Mokran Water Force Company is responsible for the development of utility units and ancillary facilities of the town.
Portions of the output of petrochemical units will serve as feedstock for petrochemical companies and downstream industries, and the rest will be exported.
The petrochemical town will help improve the economy of the underdeveloped Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces.
A total of 20 hectares in Shahid Beheshti Port have been considered for the construction of a terminal to transport products.
Iran's massive crude oil and natural gas reserves have contributed to the economic development of southwestern regions off the Persian Gulf, but areas bordering the Oman Sea have hardly benefited from the wealth.
Stretching along the Oman Sea, the Mokran region has not developed into the expected trade and shipping center, save for the port city of Jask that is operating as an oil and gas terminal.
New oil loading facilities on the Mokran Coast will significantly reduce shipping costs and spare lengthy voyage through the Strait of Hormoz and all the way to Iran's main oil and gas terminals in Asalouyeh, Kharg Island and Mahshahr on the westernmost side of the Persian Gulf.
