Abdolkarim Hashemi underlined the massive potentialities of Iran's coastal areas for development of petrochemical industries, and called on the government to exploit the areas for expansion of different industries.
"Iran's coastal areas are a great advantage for petrochemical industries," he said, because of their access to high seas and enormous feedstock resources.
Investment in such areas would be the most lucrative and will bring wealth to the country while it reduces unemployment and boosts the industry in Iran, argued the MP.
Iran enjoys a 60-million-ton petrochemical production capacity, and due to a variety of reasons including feedstock shortage, only 68 percent of this capacity is used.
Four petrochemical hubs are to be established in Parsian Special Economic Zone in the east of Assaluyeh off Persian Gulf waters, Jask Free Zone off the Sea of Oman, Chabahar Free Zone and Iranshahr Special Zone in southeastern Iran.
Iran is determined to become the biggest petrochemical producer in the Middle East.
The country has significantly expanded the range and volume of its petrochemical production over the past few years, and the
NPC has become the second largest producer and exporter of petrochemicals in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia.