TEHRAN - Head of the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) Morteza Shah-Mirzaei said on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran plans to boost capacity of petrochemical production to 200 million tons per annum by the end of the Eighth National Development Plan.
Speaking on the sidelines of opening ceremony of the 15th Iran Plast International Exhibition, Shah-Mirzaei said that Iranian petrochemical industry could only produce 1.5 million tons of products in 1979, but the production capacity in this sector increased to over 90 million tons per year.
It is expected that the petrochemical production will reach 104 million tons by the end of next Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2023), the deputy oil minister added.
Shah-Mirzaei also underlined that the petrochemical production capacity will rise to 200 million tons by the end of the Eighth National Development Plan.
Referring to the increase of methanol production to 40 million tons per year, he said that methanol is one of the key products of the petrochemical industry.
Due to a decline of demand for oil products, the country should invest in development of petrochemical industry, he said, urging great holding companies to enhance their investment in the sector.
Given the fact that more than 90 percent of commodities needed for human life will be produced by the petrochemical industry, he emphasized on the development of the sector in the country.
Iran’s 68 petrochemical complexes produce 65 million tons, including 30 million tons for export, 10 million tons for domestic consumption and 25 million tons for feeding complexes.
Almost 450 Iranian and foreign companies attend the event. Some 300 merchants from countries such as Germany, China, Brazil, Italy and Turkey take part in the exhibition.
Iran Breaks Global Monopoly on Dimethyl Disulfide Production

The CEO of Ilam Petrochemical Company Hassan Najafi Semnani said on Monday that by production of a strategic and widely-used product in Iran’s petrochemical and refining industries for the first time in the history of Iran’s petrochemical industry, Iran breaks global monopoly on Dimethyl disulfide production which was previously monopolized by the United States, France and China.
Najafi Semnani, at the unveiling ceremony of “Dimethyl disulfide” product, which was attended by Iran’s Minister of Petroleum of Iran, Javad Oji, and some other petrochemical officials, said that this strategic product is now produced at Ilam Petrochemical Company, which is on the list of oppressive sanctions.
He added that Iran’s requirements to import significant foreign products following Ilam petrochemical experts success is reduced, and by unveiling this strategic product for the Iranians nation, we will once again see the frustration of Iranian enemies.”
Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound which is the simplest disulfide.
Iran has broken the monopoly on Dimethyl disulfide production which was previously monopolized by the United States, France and China.