Iran's National Petrochemical Co. (NPC) intends to offer investment opportunities to foreign companies in existing and planned petrochemical plants.
NPC appointed Kleinwort Benson Ltd., London, as financial adviser in its bid to attract international finance and expertise. NPC also slated a seminar in Tehran Feb. 27-28 to present details to potential investors, including cost estimates.
New complex
Esfandiar Karimzadegan, managing director of NPC International, told OGJ the company plans to expand operations at its Bandar Imam complex and to build a new petrochemical complex at the port of Bandar Asaluyeh, on the Persian Gulf coast opposite Qatar.While the amount of investment being sought has not been disclosed yet, Karimzadegan said some of the planned projects are at the feasibility study stage, while others are still at the pre-feasibility level.
The new Bandar Asaluyeh complex is to be built to exploit future gas production from the supergiant South Pars gas field. Gas from the field will be sent by pipeline to the port, which has been earmarked as a future center for oil, gas, and petrochemical operations and is designated an economic development zone.
The new complex is intended to have olefins and aromatics units, namely for production of ethylene and propylene, as well as associated polyethylene and polypropylene plants; there will also be production of benzene, xylenes, and paraxylene.
Karimzadegan said some of the natural gas produced would be used as feedstock for a methanol plant, while other units would separate out natural gas liquids, liquefied petroleum gas, and other gas byproducts.
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