Hassan Abbaszadeh, Deputy Petroleum Minister and CEO of the National
Petrochemical Company (NPC), clarified that the development of the Miankaleh
project was conditional from the outset on obtaining environmental permits,
which were never granted.
“The project, which aimed to develop a methanol production chain using
natural gas, never received the necessary environmental clearances,” Abbaszadeh
told NIPNA. “Subsequently, the permit was either not issued or was revoked by
the Ministry of Petroleum.”
The NPC chief emphasized that the company has not issued any permit
for the project, which lies outside NPC's direct mandate. “Any activity in the
region must proceed strictly within legal frameworks and under the supervision
of relevant regulatory bodies,” he said.
His remarks follow reports of surveillance equipment being installed
and suspicious activity at the site in Amirabad. According to Abbaszadeh, the
president has instructed the provincial authorities to increase oversight to
prevent any unauthorized operations.
In a related development, the head of Iran’s Department of Environment
announced that the lands allocated to the Gahar Doroud Mazandaran Petrochemical
Company for the Miankaleh project would be legally reclaimed. This decision
follows a cabinet decree issued on April 27, 2025, annulling parts of a 2020
resolution that had facilitated the land allocation.
According to the government’s official portal, the Ministry of
Agriculture is now tasked with carrying out the legal process of returning the
disputed land.
The Miankaleh peninsula, located along the Caspian Sea, is an
ecologically sensitive area and has been the focus of strong opposition from
environmental groups and local communities concerned about the potential impact
of industrial development.