Addressing the opening ceremony of the 12th Iran Petrochemical Forum here in Tehran on Sunday, Jahangiri said "Employment is one of the key advantages of the petrochemical industry.”
He said the country must prepare itself for entering into the post-sanctions setting, calling for employing the country’s industrial capacities after sanctions are lifted.
Also in the ceremony, Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said that Iran’s petrochemical industry is ripe for development in the wake of the nuclear Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“The industry can enter a new setting following removal of the sanctions,” he said adding, “The petchem industry is one of the active and dynamic fields which was directly hit by the oppressive sanctions.”
Some 97 foreign companies from 25 countries participated in IPF 2015 which shows an increase of 120 percent compared to IPF 2014.
More than 15,00 representatives from domestic and foreign firms including Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherland, Russia, and US are taking part in the event.
Participants in the IPF2015, one of the world’s most prestigious events representing the petrochemical industry, will discuss the core issues that the industry is facing with the emphasis given to Iran.
It provides an ideal platform where stakeholders and key players in the global petrochemical sector meet to exchange knowledge and address the latest advancements and best practices which are capable of shaping the future of the industry.
Following the historic nuclear agreement, Iran is also using the event to unveil its post-sanctions projects and plans for further expanding the Iranian petrochemical output capacity from the current 60 million t/y to over 138 million t/y in 2020 and eventually to 180 million t/y by 2025 with an investment of over $80 bn.
NPC seeks to use Iran’s natural gas reserves as raw material to produce propylene and propylene derivatives to provide feed for the expansion of local downstream industries.