Products were exported to 24 countries, earning Iran 26 million dollars.

According to Tabriz Petrochemical Complex, Turkey as the bridge linking Asia to Europe imported eight thousand tons of polymer products, standing top among importers, with Pakistan and China following it as second and third main importers.

During the six month period, more than 180 thousand tons of polymer products of Tabriz Petrochemical Complex, valued at 1.282 trillion rials (138.5 million dollars), was injected into domestic downstream industries.

The complex’s production within the six month time showed a 50 percent growth when compared to the figure targeted by the plan.

Tabriz Petrochemical Complex’s domestic and overseas sales would soar to 4 trillion rials (4.3 billion dollars) when the price flotation plan took effect, said the managing director.

Alireza Sadri added Tabriz complex produced 800 thousand tons of petrochemicals in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2007), its highest output in the past 10 years.

“Tabriz Petrochemical Complex is the first center in Iran that produces its products according to ISO 17025 Certificate standards,” said the official, adding the company was producing and exporting eight products to 38 countries.

The company ranks third, standing after Bandar Imam and Arak petrochemical complexes in terms of output capacity and value added.

According to the managing director, 90 percent of the company’s feedstock is supplied by Tabriz Refinery and the remaining part by Arak and Bandar Imam petrochemical complexes.

“Tabriz Petrochemical Complex has been constructed in a land with a 400 thousand hectare area and its development plan will keep going as the development plan of Tabriz refinery is on the agenda,” he added.

Iran’s National Petrochemical Company stood 60th among top 100 of the world and would jump to the 50th place by the end of next Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2009), said an NPC official.

The country would get promotion by boosting the weight and value of petrochemical products in an integrated system, vowed the NPC planning and development manager.

Mohammad-Hassan Peyvandi told PIN the country’s petrochemical output in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21 to August 22, 2007) showed a 23 percent growth when compared to the figure in the corresponding period in its preceding year.

“The years of 2007 and 2008 are the spring of petrochemical industry as giant complexes such as Nouri (Borzouyeh), Maroun, Jam, Arya Sasol, units 1 and 2 of Zagros, Ghadir 1, Acid Acetic, Kermanshah Urea and Ammoniac, and 3^rd Ammoniac Unit of Razi will inject a huge volume of products into market by next March,” said the official.

He said no country like Iran had such a great capacity to develop petrochemical industry.

The NPC will make some 26.7 billion dollars in the Fourth Five-Year Socioeconomic Development Plan (2005-2010) and some part of the Fifth Plan.

According to the latest NPC statistics, the company’s total petrochemical output surpassed 18 million tons by the end of Iranian year 1385 (March 20, 2007).

The company’s production is predicted to have a 60 percent increase in the current Iranian year, hitting 29.6 million tons.

Based on the report, the total nominal capacity in the previous year stood at 29 million tons and the figure will soar to 42.9 million tons by March 19, 2008.

In 2006, the NPC exported more than six million tons of petrochemical products, valued at 3.3 billion dollars. The figure is expected to touch 11.3 million tons in the current year, fetching the country 5.6 billion dollars.

Iran had earned 6.6 trillion rials ($73.1m) and 1.4 billion dollars through injecting petrochemical products into domestic and world markets during the first four months of the Iranian year (started March 21, 2007) respectively, the NPC announced.

The country had sold more than 1.6 million tons of products domestically and had exported 2.478 million tons to foreign countries within the period, the NPC added.

Petrochemical complexes affiliated to the NPC produced over 1,779 tons in the Iranian calendar month of Tir (June 22 to July 22).

Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex (BIPC), Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Complex, Shahid Tondgouyan 2 Petrochemical Complex, Urumieh Petrochemical Complex, and Tabriz Petrochemical Complex have had the highest production during the month-long time with 110, 108, 102, 100, and 100 percent output respectively when compared to the figure targeted by the plan.

BIPC has supplied domestic market with 127 thousand tons valued at 707.8 billion rials ($76.5m) and has exported 172.5 thousand tons, fetching 130.9 million dollars during the month.

Urumieh, Amir Kabir, Bandar Imam, Tabriz, Khorassan, Razi, Shiraz, Bu Ali Sina, Fanavaran, Khuzestan, Tondgouyan, Bistoun, Pars, Maroun, Zagros, Ghadir, Mobin, and Fajr are subsidiaries of the National Petrochemical Company.

Methanol, ethylene, propylene, butadiene, dichloride ethylene, LAB, and PTA constitute the main basic products the country exports to foreign countries.

Propane, butane, pyrolyse gasoline, pentane plus, and heavy slice are the export-bound by-products and fuels while benzene, paraxylene, and heavy slice of aromatic are the main aromatic products Iran exports.

Ammoniac, ammonium nitrate, sulfur, and sulfuric acid are categorized in the fertilizer products and light and heavy polyethylene products, melamine crystal, PVC, and PET are the polymeric products that the country is considering exporting.

Iran is among the world’s top producer of urea, ammoniac, methanol, and ethylene.

Of about five million tons of petrochemical products Iran exported from March 21, 2006 to March 20, 2007, over 71 percent was transported to Asia, 21 percent to the Middle East, and 7 percent to Europe. 

At present, Iran is producing 67 kinds of petrochemical products and the variety, due to downstream production process, will be greater.

Iran’s Fifth Five-Year Socioeconomic Development Plan (2010-2015) has planned for increasing the annual petrochemical production from 55 million tons to 158 million tons.

The NPC managing director said seven petrochemical projects would become operational by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2008).

Gholam-Hossein Nejabat said, “According to the timetable, one petrochemical project comes on stream every month of the year,” adding five plans had been inaugurated during the past five months and the remaining seven would be put into operation by March 2008.

He said 24 petrochemical projects would become operational by the end of Fourth Plan, 2010.