Iran to Open 18 Pet-Chem Projects in Chabahar Port

Iran will complete construction process for as many as 17 petrochemical plants in the Southeastern port city of Chabahar by 2024, a local official said, adding that the projects will increase the country’s pet-chem output by 4.6 million tons.

Chief Executive of Infrastructure Supply Company of Chabahar Free Trade Zone Mehdi Kouhi announced on Monday that the 6 six units will be fully tapped by 2022 with an output capacity of 1.6 million tons, adding that the next 2 phases, the first comprised of 6 other units and the last made up of 5 units, will come on stream in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

“These projects will come on stream in three phases, each phase with the production capacity of 1.6 million tons,” he added.

“The construction of the first phase includes six units of these projects which started two years ago and is currently underway with 30% physical progress.”

He put the production capacity of each of these units at 1.6 million tons.

Kouhi then pointed to the unique and unparalleled advantages of this zone in trade and business field and added, “The strategic and geopolitics situation of Chabahar Free Zone is remarkable given the shorter distance to the target markets as compared to Bandar Abbas.”

Moreover, giant vessels and ships can also take berth in Chabahar Free Trade Zone, he added.

Last month, Caretaker of the Planning and Development Management of Iran’s National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Ali Asqar Goudarzi Farahani said that the country is expecting two leaps in its petrochemical production in 2021 and 2025 to hit the yearly output of 133 million tons in 5 years.

A week earlier, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had said that his country is working on the development of refineries and petrochemical complexes along Makran coasts, a region comprising about 1,500 km of shoreline along the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.

Zanganeh had announced in mid-September that the country has made great progress in the production of different petrochemicals and will further expand its capacities in future.

In relevant remarks earlier in September, Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiyee had also downplayed the effects of US sanctions against his country, stressing that Iran had many options for exporting its crude.

"Despite the espionage acts by Israel and the US, I clearly declare that we sell our oil as much as we need through planning," Rabiyee said.

He explained that Iran has 15 neighbors and is located in a region with many opportunities, and added, "We will be able to sell our oil through different methods and fortunately, there is good progress in advancing oil discoveries and plans."