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NPC will hold its second international annual forum on 6-7 May 2000 in Tehran to introduce its development projects to foreign investors and highlight the projects it is currently implementing.
Speaking at a press conference on March 11, 2000, at NPC's headquarters, Deputy Petroleum Minister and NPC President, Mr. Nematzadeh announced that "among other issues, the second Iran Petrochemical Forum (IPF), entitled 'Petrochemical Industry in the New Millennium' will also review investment potentials in the Middle East in general and in Iran in particular.
Pars (Assaluyeh) Special Economic/Energy Zone, where four of NPC's development projects will be implemented, is among the important topics to be highlighted at the forum." The Zone is located near the huge South Pars Gas Field, the world's largest independent natural gas reservoirs.
This off-shore gas field is located about 100 km south of the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf on Iran-Qatar borderline. It holds the equivalent of about 6% of the world's total proven gas reserves and will provide feedstock for four of the NPC's world-scale complexes which include two olefin complexes, a methanol complex and an aromatic complex.
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NPC's President at a press conference |
Mr. Nematzadeh noted that the first IPF in 1999 laid the groundwork for attracting foreign investors adding that NPC was negotiating with foreign companies to attract some $2bn to carry out its projects. He referred to Iran's huge gas reserves and a 15% annual growth in the domestic petrochemicals market as some of the comparative advantages of the country's petrochemical industry concluding that the industry was a suitable place for foreign investment.
He estimated that as the result of NPC's development programs, Iran's share of the global petrochemicals markets would rise from its current 0.4% to 2% at the end of the country'3rd Development Plan in 2005."A total investment of some $10b is needed to meet this goal.
Half of this investment will be the local portion" he pointed out. Mr. Nematzadeh also said that a the end of the 3rd Plan, NPC's export would jump from its current $500m to $2b.
Asked about the future of regional cooperation, he said, "The world economy is based upon multilateral cooperation. This issue is among topics that will be discussed at the IPF2000."
The third National Congress on Energy and Economics, organized by the Iranian Petroleum Institute, was held on February 29 - March 1, 2000, in Tehran. Several Iranian government officials attended the event including Deputy President and Head of the Environmental Protection Organization, Ms. Ebtekar, Petroleum Minister, Mr. Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Mayor of Tehran, Mr. Alviree and Deputy Petroleum Minster for Refining and Distribution, Mr. Aghaee.
NPC was represented at the Congress by Mr. Seyed Hassan Sadat,
Director of Projects who also presented a paper at the gathering.
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Seyed Hassan Sadat, NPC's Director of Projects |
In his paper, he pointed out that with the current gas reserves, Iran could supply 20% of the entire feedstock required for the production of basic petrochemicals worldwide for a period of 45 years.
He concluded that investment in Iran's petrochemical industry can be very lucrative and enjoys tangible economic advantages compared with industrialized countries. He recommended that instead of exporting light hydrocarbons like methane, ethane, propane and butanes it was advisable to utilize them as feedstock for petrochemical industry and produce derivatives with much higher added value.
In line with its general policy of improving management methods and productivity in the petrochemical industry, NPC sponsored a seminar on "Safety in the Process Industries".
The seminar took place on March 6, 2000 in Tehran and was attended by 147 participants from various petrochemical as well as gas, oil and other related companies. The seminar was administered by Rahbaran Petrochemical Company (an NPC subsidiary responsible for providing management training services) in cooperation with the NPC's Production Control Management.
Dr. Tony Cox, a member of the UK Government's Advisory Committee on Dangerous Substances and an authority on safety in process industries served as the main speaker at the seminar. The day-long event covered such topics as: management role in the safety of petrochemical industries, accident analysis, safety by inspection and maintenance, and safety in production.
NPC President, H.E. Nematzadeh attended the seminar's afternoon session and gave a lecture stressing the importance of observing the laws and regulations governing safety in the petrochemical industry.
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Dr. Cox speaking at Safety in the Process Industries Seminar |
Representatives from NPC took part at the following international events in March 2000:
- Gulf 2000, Energy Infrastructure & Finance in the Middle East, March 14-15, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Nitrogen 2000, March 12-14, Vienna, Austria.
- European Petrochemical Forum, March 13-14, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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