Morteza Shahmirzaei said the implementation of the giant project in southwestern Iran was put on agenda about two decades ago and its executive operations started adjacent to Gachsaran, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.
The project witnessed ups and downs during the long period but its operations were accelerated in recent years, he noted, SHANA reported.
He also stated that the current administration’s strategic policy focuses on the fast move toward completing the petrochemical industry’s value chain.
Shahmirzaei explained that different reasons, including supply of feedstock, were behind the slow implementation of Gachsaran petrochemical project, adding that the complex is fed with Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery which processes the collected associated petroleum gases and produces valuable products, including ethane.
According to him, 1.25 million tons of ethane produced annually by Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery are transmitted to Gachsaran Petrochemical Complex, and ethylene and C3+ needed by downstream plants are produced in the next stage of production cycle.
Ethylene functions as an intermediary and is used in various industries such as polymers, synthetic fibers, solvents, lubricants, antifreezes, and alcohols, Shahmirzaei explained, saying the world’s largest ethylene production line is in Iran.
Gachsaran Petrochemical Complex tops the country’s olefin projects in terms of homegrown equipment, as more than 83 percent of its systems and parts have been manufactured by Iranian experts, he continued.
The project has generated job opportunities for over 3,000 people during its construction stage and for 1,000 people directly during its operation stage.
The olefin project of Gachsaran was inaugurated by President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday.
Having an annual capacity of one million tons of ethylene and 84,000 tons of C3+ production, the olefin project was put into operation with an investment of some 1.3 billion euros in the presence of President Raisi and Oil Minister Javad Owji, the NPC chief concluded.