Addressing a press conference on Monday, Behzad Mohammadi said
the country exported 25 million tons of petrochemicals during the year despite
the restrictions caused by the sanctions and the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The growth of annual demand for petroleum products in the
world is less than 0.9% while the growth of annual demand for petrochemical
products is close to 5%, he said, arguing: "This is an important sign for
the need to develop the petrochemical industry.”
The NPC official noted the 58-year history of the petrochemical
industry in Iran, and added: “The production capacity of the petrochemical
industry has increased from 65 million tons in [the calendar year of] 1398,
with the inauguration of 17 projects and an increase of 25 million tons, to 90
million tons, which is a unique record in the history of this industry.”
Mohammadi, who is also deputy petroleum minister for petrochemical
affairs, estimated the average progress of the remaining 10 projects of the
second leap of the petrochemical industry as 84%,and said that these projects
will be operational by the end of the current Iranian calendar year which began
on March 21.
He further said that currently 40 active projects are under
way in the form of the third leap of the industry and the capacity will reach
about 135 million tons by 2025, adding: “With the realization of the third leap
projects, Iran's ranking in production of basic products in the Middle East
Will be upgraded from second to the first place.”