Behzad Mohammadi said on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at the
specialized panel on surplus methanol production and price effects and
completing the value chain at the ۶th Iranian Petroleum and Energy Club Congress
and Exhibition (IPEC 2021): “Currently 9 million ton of Methanol is being produced
in the country, of which 92% is exported and about 700,000 tons are consumed
domestically.”
He added: "According to plans, the production capacity
of this important product will reach 23 million tons by 2025, and considering
that the price of gas is about 80 to 90 dollars per cubic meter, we can say
that the export of methanol which is about 250 dollars per ton generates good
revenue for the country.”
Mohammadi stated that the term "surplus methanol"
is incorrect: "It is not fair to say that we have surplus methanol,
because it is planned to complete the value chain of methanol and produce more
valuable products."
He said that the production mix of major petrochemical
products is 33 types if items with a capacity of 1,900 million tons globally,
adding: “Of this amount, the Middle East share is 10 percent and Iran's share
of this amount in the Asian market is 26 percent and 2.6 percent of the world.”
The NPC CEO said due to the production of development plans
and the promotion of Iran's position in the production of strategic products,
in the near future Iran's position in the Middle East will surpass that of
Saudi Arabia.
He said that according to studies, China produces 42 million
tons of products from its 70 mt production capacity of methanol. "By 2028,
Iran's share of exports in world methanol markets will increase to 23 million
tons per year."
Mohammadi continued: "Iran's petrochemical industry has
been moving towards methanol production since 2016.”
He stated: "Due to the existence of vast gas resources
in the country, the share of petrochemical industry is 84 million cubic meters
of gas as fuel and feedstock.
"We are looking to produce more valuable items,"
he said. "Gas condensate is widely produced in the Assaluyeh region, and
we are moving towards production of aromatic products."