Petrochem Exports To 70 Countries

Domestic Economy Desk

Iran exports petrochemical products to 70 countries of the world, said the managing director of National Petrochemical Company (NPC).
Gholamhossein Bayat said on Sunday that despite the 30 years of international sanctions imposed on Iran, the annual petrochemical production capacity of the country increased to 60 million tons.
The official went on to say that the Sixth Petrochemical Development Plan is currently under second revision, adding the plan has been approved to help officials review previous programs to identify and remove their weaknesses.
Bayat also said that the macro objectives of the seventh plan have been determined and approved, ISNA reported, adding that plans for development of petrochemical industry by 2025 have been drawn up.
The official pointed out that Article 44 of the Constitution helps the country reduce dependence on oil and establish competitive economy in the country, as the production, training and service sections of the petrochemical industry have been prepared to be ceded to the private sector.
Bayat noted that exports of petrochemical products made $14.3 billion revenues for the country in the past Iranian year (ended March 19), adding completion of production chain will cause the figure to increase by two or threefold.
First vice president Mohammad Reza Rahimi said earlier in July that development of downstream petrochemical industries in the country is a necessity.
He noted that the newly established industries should be expanded with domestic and foreign investment, adding this will help generate value added from oil and gas resources.
Referring to the huge reserves of energy in the South Pars region, he said that the projects which are underway in various parts of the country especially Khuzestan province should be completed soon.

Rail Transit Will Fetch $350m

Domestic Economy Desk

By completing transit corridors which pass through Iran, the country’s revenues in terms of rail transit will increase by $350 million, announced the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
Among the links that connect Iran’s rail transportation system to those of the neighboring countries and can bring some $699 million revenues for the country per annum, are Qazvin-Rasht-Astara with the length of 375 kilometers (km), Arak-Kermanshah-Khosravi with the length of 550 km, Chabahar-Zahedan-Mashhad with the length of 1,330 km, Gorgan-Incheh Borun which is 92 km long, Sangan-Herat with the length of 197 km and Shalamcheh-Basrah (Iraq-Syria-Europe) which is 2,579 km long, IRNA reported on Sunday.
By launching the transit corridors not only does the rail transit income of the country grow by $350 million, but also 7,300 job opportunities will be created. Completion of the said corridors will also help the country save $150 million in terms of fuel consumption.
Currently, the length of Iran’s main rail links amount to 10,000 km, while the feasibility studies to construct some 8,000 km is underway and another 12,476 km of railroads are currently under construction, the report added.
Since 2005, three rail links with the length of 396 km, 265 km and 95 km pertaining to the provinces of Fars, Sistan-Baluchestan and West Azarbaijan respectively, have joined the national rail network.
The report said provinces of Gilan, Kurdestan, Hamedan, Ilam, Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad, North and South Khorasan, Kermanshah, Bushehr, Ardebil and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari are also about to join the national rail network.
In July, managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said Iran, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to enhance cooperation in railroad sector.
Speaking at the end of the 11th meeting of the managing directors of railroads of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Ankara, Abdol-Ali Saheb-Mohammadi said the three nations emphasized on promoting railroad cooperation.
They agreed to increase the number of trains in Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route, he said.
The participants also called for shortening arrival and departure time of trains along the route and reducing custom tariffs in an effort to encourage private sector for investment, he said.
Saheb-Mohammadi continued that representatives of Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan also emphasized expanding the infrastructures of rail industry of the three nations.
Managing directors of railroads of Iran and Turkey also agreed on launching a new route linking east to west. Based on the agreement, in addition to Lake Van route, it was decided that new route from Pars Abad and Igdir will be connected to Bazargan border in Turkey.

Twin Cabin Bus Production Planned

Domestic Economy Desk

Mideast’s first double-cabin bus production line will be inaugurated by SNA Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Tabriz during current Iranian year which has been named as “Year of National Production and Support for Iranian Labor and Capital” by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Head of presiding board of the company said the plan to produce twin cabin buses for BRT lines started in 2010. With completion of development works of the auto manufacturing complex in Foreign Investment Township, the facilities for production line of two-cabin buses were installed, Asr-e Khodro reported.
Highlighting that SNA Company has made all investment itself, Jalil Hashemi said five twin cabin buses have so far been manufactured in SNA factory on a trial basis.
He explained that about 50 percent of the BRT bus parts have been produced domestically. The main parts such as engine, gearbox, axle and cooler are manufactured by German companies such as MAN, he mentioned.
The industrialist said the company aims to produce 500 double cabin buses annually and generate 500 jobs.
Hashemi pointed out that the country’s eight metropolises need at least 2,000 double cabin buses annually.
On privileges of using long cabin buses in BRT lines, he said this bus is in fact two buses with one driver. Therefore, it has less costs, adding it consumes less fuel compared to a single cabin bus.
SNA Vehicle Manufacturing Company has so far delivered 400 double cabin buses to Tehran Municipality, he said, adding it would give 500 others by the yearend.
In addition, the company has delivered 40 double cabin buses to Isfahan Municipality and 25 to Tabriz Municipality, he pointed out.

Tile, Ceramic Production Up

Domestic Economy Desk

More than 87 million square meters of tile and ceramic were produced during the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 20), showing an increase of five percent compared to the figure for the corresponding period of the preceding year.
Director general of the Office of Mineral Industries in the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade Mohammad Fatemian said about 23.760 million square meters of tiles were manufactured during June 20-July 21, IRNA reported on Sunday.
He noted that the figure shows a rise of 4.2 percent compared to the figure for the same period the past year.
The official went on to say that more than 24.443 tons of cement were produced in the country during March 20-July 21, indicating a 4.5 percent hike compared to the figure for the same period preceding year.
He said that more than 6.428 million tons of cement were manufactured during June 20-July 21.
About 288.341 million tons of tiles and ceramic were produced in the country in the past year (ended March 19).
Director general of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Hamid Safdel said earlier in June that some $300 million in revenues were earned via the export of tiles and ceramics last year (ended March 19).
He said the figure shows an increase of 15 percent compared to the figure for the corresponding period of the preceding year.
The official also said Iran earned some $300 million revenue via the export of tile and ceramic in the past year, adding more than 100 tile and ceramic producing units are operating nationwide, generating 300,000 direct and indirect job opportunities in the country.

21st Int’l Carpet Expo in Sept.

Domestic Economy Desk

The 21th Iranian Hand-Woven Carpet Festival will be held in Tehran with participation of Iranian and foreign firms during Sept. 23-29.
Deputy marketing of Iran National Carpet Center told Mehr News Agency that 60 nations have been invited to take part in this event.
Mojtaba Feizollahi pointed out that currently businesspersons from China, Germany and some European nations have shown interest to participate in the week-long event.
A delegation of Danish carpet merchants is to visit Iran during the festival, he said.
He mentioned that higher number of domestic firms would participate in the fair this year. There is an estimated population of 1.2 million weavers in Iran who produce carpets for both the domestic and international markets.
Carpet-weaving is one of the most distinguished manifestations of Persian culture and art, dating back to ancient Persia.

High Demand for Iran Oil

A prominent Russian analyst downplayed the impacts of the Western sanctions on Iranian oil exports, reiterating that Iran is not facing any problem for selling its crude as it can find new customers.
Speaking to Kommersant daily, Simon Bagdasarova, who is an analyst in the Middle Eastern Affairs, said Iran can find new customers for its oil among African states, or increase its oil export to China and India which are the main oil buyers from Iran, Fars News Agency reported on Sunday.
He noted that the US efforts to force China and India to cut or reduce their oil imports from Iran have proved useless so far.
Bagdasarova further said that Iran has started to sell oil to a number of countries close to the Persian Gulf and has the ability to transfer its oil to these states by small tankers.
Iran, which sits on the world’s second largest reserves of both oil and gas, is facing US sanctions over its civilian nuclear program. Iranian officials have dismissed US sanctions as inefficient, saying they are finding Asian partners instead. Several Chinese and other Asian firms are negotiating or signing up to oil and gas deals.
Analysts believe that the US-driven pressures and sanctions on Iran will have dire repercussions for Europe, particularly if Iran reciprocates the European move and blocks the Strait of Hormuz to tankers carrying crude to the EU.
Iranian officials have on many occasions said that western sanctions have backfired as they have given Tehran a strong feeling of self-reliance, adding that embargos have turned the country, a once importer of gasoline and gasoil, to an exporter of such products.
The Iranian officials also played down the effects of embargos against Tehran, and said the recent oil ban against Iran will help the country’s old dream for having an oil free economy to come true.
Iran’s total in-place oil reserves have been estimated at more than 560 billion barrels with about 140 billion barrels of extractable oil. Moreover, heavy and extra heavy varieties of crude oil account for roughly 70-100 billion barrels of the total reserves.

Lead and Zinc Reserve

The proven reserves of Mehdi Abad Lead and Zinc Mine, Yazd province have been estimated to be 165 million tons.