NPC to build the world's largest urea plant and a world-scale ammonia facility

NPC has decided to build the world's largest urea plant and a world-scale ammonia facility at Pars Special Economic/Energy Zone (PARSEE) in Assaluyeh on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf southwest Iran. The ammonia/urea project was awarded on 21 May 01 to a consortium of Japan's Toyo Engineering and Chiyoda Corporation and Iran's Petrochemical Industries Design and Engineering Co. (PIDEC) for the facilities. The project will produce 2050-t/d (676,500-t/y) of ammonia and 3250-t/d (1.07-mt/y) of urea. The contract calls for provision of technology licenses, basic and detailed engineering, and equipment as well as technical assistance. Toyo Engineering will employ Kellogg's technology for the ammonia plant and Chiyoda will be using Stamicarbon's technology. Urea granulation will be carried out by using Holland's Hydro Fertilizer technology. The natural gas feedstock for the facility will be sourced from the nearby South Pars gas installations. The project will be supplied within 24 months. The NPC subsidiary, Petrochemical Industries Development Management Co. (PIDMCO) will implement the project.

APC awards its ethylene plant expansion to Technip

Arak Petrochemical Company (APC), an NPC subsidiary, awarded the contract for the expansion of its ethylene plant to France's Technip. Under the project, the plant's production capacity will increase from its current 247,000 tonne/year to 306,000 tonne/year up by some 25%. The contract covers provision of engineering, procurement and supply of equipment and materials. Nargan, Technip's Iranian engineering partner, will carry out part of engineering. It will also supply those pieces of equipment that are of local origin.

TPC's ABS plant due onstream in late '01

Tabriz Petrochemical Complex, one of the NPC subsidiaries, expects to bring its acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS) plant onstream in early '02. The 35,000 tonne/year plant is being built at the TPC's site in northeast of Iran. Technology, detailed engineering and procurement contracts have been awarded to Samsung and Cheil of Korea and Iran's Sazeh. The plant will consume 19,045 tonne/year of styrene and 6,044 tonne/year of butadiene which will be supplied by TPC. It will also consume 8,323 tonne/year of acrylonitrile that will be imported.

Kharg sulfur granulation on track

On 3 May 01, Petroleum Minister HE Bijan Namdar Zanganeh inaugurated Kharg sulfur granulation project built in Kharg Island on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf. The project's production capacity is 800 tonne/day. It was implemented for environmental considerations and will boost Kharg Petrochemical Company's export revenues.

NPC set to float tender bids for RPC's ammonia project

NPC will soon float international tender bids for Razi Petrochemical Company's (RPC) third ammonia plant. The plant will have a capacity of 2000-t/d. RPC has already two ammonia plants each with a capacity of 1000-t/d providing feed for the company's urea plants. The third plant's production is for export.