NPC's new paraxylene plant operational

NPCs new paraxylene (PX) plant has come on stream and is operating well over the designed purity. The plant, which is located within the boundary of Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex (BIPC) south of Iran, will produce 180,000-t/y of PX and approximately 40,000-t/y of by-products, including liquid distillates, light isomerates, fuel gas, C9 aromatics and toluene. BIPC will provide the plant's feedstock which are mixed xylenes and hydrogen.

IFP of France provided the plant's license whereas basic and detailed engineering as well as supply of equipment were delivered by Belgium's Abay Engineering and Iran's Chimeinaft. Both Iranian contractors and manufacturers had a major role in constructing the plant. Over 60% of the plant's equipment were manufactured by local manufacturers. The plant was mostly constructed by Iranian contractors.

The paraxylene plant was built within the framework of the first phase of the NPC's strategic development program. It will provide the feedstock for the NPC's 1st PTA/PET plant which is currently under construction in the neighboring Petzone.

NPC seeks to increase its share of the global ethylene and polymers output

NPC has targeted to produce five million tons of ethylene per year by 2005 increasing its currently 0.3% share of the global ethylene market to between 6-8%.

It is presently producing ethylene at its existing Bandar Imam, Tabriz and Arak facilities while five grassroots olefin projects, namely, olefin no. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are planned to be in operation by 2005. Olefins no. 6 and 7, scheduled to be onstream by 2001, are part of phases one and two of the so-called NPC's Strategic Program and the remaining, planned for the third phase of the program, are expected to be in operation by 2005. Olefin 6, 7 and 8 will be built in Bandar Imam Petzone on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf.

Olefin 9 and 10 will be constructed further down on the Persian Gulf in Pars Special Economic/Energy zone (ParsEE) also known as Asaluyeh, based on the development of South Pars gas field which is already under way.

When development projects are in place, basic polymers output, that is, polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, polyester and polystyrene, is also expected to jump from the current 750,000-t/y to five million tons by 2005. Polyester output alone will reach 800,000t/y by the end of 2004 when NPC's two PTA/PET projects are in place. NPC's 1st PTA/PET plant will be completed by 2003 and the 2nd PTA/PET project is expected to be onstream the following year. Presently, NPC does not produce PTA or PET.

NPC's half-year results

NPC recorded output of over 5.8m tons of various petrochemicals during the first half of the current Iranian year (20 March - 21 September). This is 5% up on the results of the same period last year. In the meantime, NPC exports reached around $400m during the same period showing a significant improvement of about 49% over the performance in the corresponding period last year. NPC expects that its export will reach over $700m at the end of the fiscal year on March 20, 2001. Domestic sales are expected to reach $800m-900m.

NPC board has approved research on employees' satisfaction

In an attempt to boost job satisfaction and morale among its employees, the NPC's board of directors approved of a study aimed at identifying factors that contribute to the staff contentment. The study, to be conducted by the Company's Administration and Training Department, will conduct research on ten different areas, including welfare elements and facilities, ways of attracting new recruits, the proportion between the current volume of work and the existing workforce and the effectiveness of training programs. The study will assess the impact of these elements and factors on the employees' performance.