NPC has voiced its interest in progress in Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) technologies. NPC President says, "we believe that in the future, GTL products will have a very attractive global market due to their environment friendly features being free of sulfides, aromatics and metals."
NPC is already conducting a feasibility study for constructing a GTL plant with a capacity of 70,000 barrels per day. "Studies are expected to be finalized by mid 2002", Nematzadeh said.
He added that one of the NPC's strategic development programs "is to produce clean and green fuels for a better future life". In addition to GTL, several other projects including DME and Methanol for fuel cells are being studied. NPC has said it is willing to initiate cooperation and partnership in these areas with both consumers and technology providers.



In parallel to its plans to develop Iran's petrochemical industry, NPC has also drawn up a comprehensive program to expand the country's downstream petrochemical sector.
The program, to be carried out in collaboration with Iran's Ministry of Industry and other respective bodies, seeks to expand domestic market, create job opportunities, promote technology, forge regional development and raise non-oil exports.
The program offers incentives, including provision of foreign currency and financial facilities from the country's Foreign Currency Reserves Fund for exports of finished goods made from petrochemicals, free feasibility studies for downstream projects and cash rewards for exporters of petrochemical end-products. Last year, approximately US$2m of grants were issued to the downstream sector, a 100% increase from three years earlier.
The program also includes free visits for executives of downstream companies to overseas conferences, provision of technical assistance to investors, and supplies end users with feedstcoks. It is run by a special department set up within NPC called the Petrochemical Industries Downstream Development Department.
To realize this program, NPC has called for the participation of domestic and foreign engineering companies in giving services like conducting feasibility studies. It has also asked Iranian and foreign investors to invest in this sector and assist in the purchase of their products.



Managing directors and heads of the overseas offices of the Iran Petrochemical Commercial Co (IPCC), the commercial arm of NPC, convened in Tehran to discuss and review strategies and ways of expanding exports in target markets and increase its share of the global petrochemical markets.
With NPC's plan to produce 30 millions tonnes of petrochemicals by 2005 and export a lion share of its production, IPCC is seeking new ways to respond to the influx of products coming from the projects.
Already IPCC has offices in UK, Germany, China, Singapore, India, Russia and UAE, which handle its exports.
In 2001, IPCC exported some 4 million tonnes of products valued at $798m. Its target markets and market shares included Far East (32%), India (18%), China (17%), South East Asia (7%), Europe (6%), Middle East (4%) and others (4%). By 2005, the shares are expected to reach 60% for Asia, 20% for Europe, 10% for Middle East, 5% for Africa and 5% for America.



NPC subsidiary Petrochemical Commercial Company International (PCCI) is to buy MTBE from Qatar Fuel Additives Company (QAFAC).
To this effect, Qatar's energy and industry minister Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah and Iran's Deputy Petroleum Minister and NPC President Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh signed an agreement on May 5th in a ceremony which was held at Qatar Petroleum headquarters in Doha.
Under the agreement, PCCI will annually buy 275,000 tonnes of MTBE for seven years from QAFAC. The supplies are expected to begin in July 2003.