TEHRAN – Iranian Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) has begun a pilot program to renovate and modernize aging industrial units across six provinces, with officials saying nearly 200 factories have already registered to participate.

Farshad Moqimi, deputy industry minister and IDRO head said the initiative is being implemented through a new online platform designed to streamline applications and track progress.

He said all industrial units that received their operating licenses at least ten years ago are eligible to apply for upgrades. Out of roughly 78,000 licensed units nationwide, about 21,000 meet the criteria.

Moqimi said the ministry’s modernization model focuses on smart policy design, sustainable financing, deployment of new technologies, improved energy efficiency and enhanced competitiveness. Incentives include priority access to foreign currency, customs and tax exemptions, export-support tools and backing for research and development.

According to ministry data, more than 300 factories have undergone diagnostic assessments so far, and renovation work has already started at more than 35 units.

IDRO has now launched its dedicated overhaul portal, NOSAZI.IDRO.ir, which is being tested in East Azerbaijan, Ilam, Khorasan Razavi, Qazvin, Kermanshah and Markazi provinces. In the pilot phase, 228 industrial units expressed interest in the program, and more than 189 have formally registered.

Moqimi said IDRO is prepared to sign a cooperation agreement with the Tehran Chamber of Commerce to support the rollout of the renovation plan. The pact would cover the design of support packages and incentives, implementation of modernization projects, financing mechanisms and joint monitoring and evaluation.

In a separate part of his remarks, he highlighted the acceleration in scrapping older vehicles. Iran is currently dismantling an average of 850 obsolete cars per day, a record pace that he said contributed to saving 1.1 billion liters of fuel last year.

He added that each scrapped vehicle allows the recovery of an estimated 400 kilograms of steel, 30 kilograms of aluminum and five kilograms of copper — materials he said play a key role in building a more efficient circular-economy model in the industrial sector.

EF/MA