TEHRAN – Iran has approved and issued a document and roadmap for regional energy diplomacy, with an action plan for oil and refined products, gas and petrochemicals built around specific indicators, the caretaker oil minister said.
Hamid Bovard said that the Regional Energy Trade Steering Headquarters approved the document. The body is chaired by First Vice President Muhammad Reza Aref.
Bovard said the Oil Ministry led the drafting under Clause T of Article 44 of the Seventh Development Plan Law. The document was issued after the headquarters approved it.
The roadmap sets out an action plan covering oil, gas, refining and petrochemicals, with a set of indicators meant to keep regional energy trade efforts coordinated and in line with market developments, he said.
The indicators include private-sector participation in regional energy trade, which Bovard said is a first. They also include technical developments in regional and global energy markets, the link between energy trade and domestic issues, techno-political matters, and diplomatic and strategic marketing and market-building.
Bovard said the plan takes into account the capacity of non-state actors alongside government bodies. Developments in regional and global markets will be factored into setting and revising the action plans, he said.
Under the division of responsibilities, the Oil Ministry’s planning deputy will serve as the specialized secretariat of the steering headquarters, Bovard said. The ministry’s Institute for International Energy Studies will run a permanent center for working groups that monitor actions and draft flexible energy diplomacy plans.
The mechanism is intended to provide continuous monitoring, collect feedback and update plans in three- and six-month cycles to reflect changes in regional energy markets, he said.
Bovard said that for the first time in Iran, the actions of various energy sectors, involving both government and non-government players in energy trade, will be set and carried out on an ongoing basis. Feedback, reporting and the resolution of challenges will also be part of the process, he said.