TEHRAN (PIN) -– Arya Sasol Petrochemical Complex head said the plant’s ethylene unit was undergoing pilot production process and the complex would soon offer its commercial product.

Karim Deljavan added the ethylene unit of the complex with an annual production capacity of one million tons was at the test stage.
Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari said Arya Sasol Petrochemical Complex in southern Iran would be inaugurated in the presence of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in the near future.
He made the statement in his meeting with the staff of Arya Sasol Petrochemical Complex.
The minister assessed as positive the growing progress of oil projects particularly in Assaluyeh, adding the capital turnover in the oil industry was not comparable with any project in the country.
Arya Sasol Petrochemical Complex (Olefin 9) has been established, with Iran’s National Petrochemical Company (NPC) and South African group Sasol holding 50 percent shares each.
The complex is among the world’s biggest polymer projects, whose products will be mainly exported.
When the complex comes on stream, 400 thousand tons of ethylene, 90 thousand tons of carbon 3 slice, 300 thousand tons of medium and heavy polyethylene, and 300 thousand tons of light polyethylene will be added to Iran’s petrochemical output.
Construction operations of the complex started in a parcel of land with a 78.8 ha area in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) in 2002 and the project has made over 97 progress so far.
Iran has earned 3.314 billion dollars through exports of petrochemical products in the first eight months of its current year (started March 21, 2007).
According to the NPC, the country has exported 5.723 million tons of products during the eight-month period.
Weighing 1.65 million tons, liquefied gas had the lion’s share in the exports and methanol, ethylene, propylene, butadiene, dichloride ethylene, LAB, and PTA were the main basic chemical products exported within the period.
Propane, butane, pyrolyse, benzene, pentane plus, and heavy slice were the export-bound byproducts and fuels while benzene, paraxylene, heavy aromatic slice were the aromatic products.
Ammonia, ammonium nitrate, sulfur, and sulfuric acid are fertilizers and related products and light polyethylene, heavy polyethylene, melamine crystal, PVC, and PET are polymer products the country is planning to export.
Iran is currently among the world’s top producers of urea, ammonia, methanol, and ethylene.
Last year, Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, India, South Korea, Italy, Singapore, and Taiwan were the main target markets for Iran’s export-bound petrochemical products, accounting for 86 and 80 percent of exports in terms of weight and value respectively.
The NPC’s investment in the industry would be close to 50 billion dollars by the end of 20-Year Vision Plan, 2025.