According to the head of American CMAI Company, Persian Gulf is the new hub of petrochemical products in the world.
Speaking at the Eighth Iran’s Petrochemical Forum in Tehran, Gary Adams noted that in the past, the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana were considered as the petrochemical hub, indicating that the Persian Gulf has turned into a new focal point of petrochemical products.
Referring to changes in international markets, he noted that some other opportunities should be created in the world in this respect.
Given the soaring oil prices, new capacities should be established in different fields of petrochemical industry, he underlined. “In the next 25 years, regional states will have the lion’s share of the world’s petrochemical products,“ Adams anticipated.

The Eighth IranÕs Petrochemical Forum was inaugurated in Tehran on Saturday by Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari.

According to Fars News Agency, the Eighth Iran’s Petrochemical Forum was inaugurated in Tehran on Saturday by Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari.
Representatives from 118 Iranian companies as well as over 76 foreign companies from 27 countries participated in the two-day gathering.
Participants of the international conference discussed present and future challenges for Iran and world’s energy sector and the petrochemical industry.
The role of refining in petrochemical industry, prospects of the industry as well as technologies related to petrochemical industry were among other major topics discussed in the forum.
Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States were represented in the forum.
The forum comes at a point when the projects planned by the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) during 2002-2007 have been completed and are in the process of being brought on stream, heralding a watershed development, not only for the Iranian petrochemical sector, but for the global petrochemical industry in terms of utilization of potentials and capacities.
The current year is seen as a crucial period for Iran in terms of growth in the volume of petrochemical products and presence in international markets as well as production of downstream petrochemical products.
The NPC is determined to achieve 35 million tons of gross output, with plans to sell 25 million tons of it, while consuming the remaining in its own production units.
Given the current international prices of petrochemicals, the value of the company’s petrochemical output is expected to amount to $12 billion, of which $7 billion is estimated to come from exports.
The forum opened a window of opportunity for foreign firms to learn more about Iran’s petrochemical industry, its comparative and competitive advantages as well as the investment opportunities it offers to foreign investors.

Secretary-General of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mines Javad Mosaddeqi held talks with his Slovenian counterpart on issues of mutual interests on Sunday.
At the meeting, the two sides called for establishment of a joint economic and trade committee in the two countries’ capitals.
“Establishing a joint committee will pave the way for boosting bilateral cooperation,“ he said.
He also expressed hope that the visit of the Slovenian delegation to Iran could prepare the ground for increasing the two countries’ cooperation.
Referring to changes in Iranian economy and reduction of the government’s share in economic activities, Mosaddeqi observed that these changes will pave the way for enhancement of bilateral cooperation in technical, engineering, agricultural, oil, gas, petrochemical and transportation fields.
He also voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness for bolstering cooperation in the fields of energy and tourism.
Zhdenko Paychelc, for his part, called for broadening bilateral ties, adding that some basic measures should be taken to promote mutual relations.
Given that Slovenia has established a competitive atmosphere for joint investment, Paychelc noted that Iranian investors can invest in Slovenia in the fields of information technology, production of industrial parts, energy, logistics and tourism.

About 1,750 billion rials will be spent on rendering services to the tribal people, said head of Tribal Affairs Organization.
Jahanshah Seddiq explained that of this figure, about 750 billion rials would be allocated by Tribal Affairs Organization and the rest by the other organizations dealing with tribal issues, according to IRNA.
Regretting the drought conditions in the country particularly in the summer and winter habitats of the tribal population, he said these regions face shortage of fodder and water.
Supplying water for tribal people is a priority for the organization, the official said.
About 240 tankers are being used to supply water to tribal regions, he said, adding that the number will be increased by 100 tankers soon.
The government has allocated 2.3 trillion rials from insurance fund to pay farmers who incurred losses as a result of drought, Seddiq pointed out.
In addition, it has earmarked 2.5 trillion rials for renovating the infrastructures of droughtÐaffected regions, he concluded.

More than 2,060 polluting industrial units have been identified across the country of which 447 are in Tehran, said deputy director of Department of Environment.
Hassan Asilian told Fars News Agency that based on the Aggregate Tax Law, a list of polluting factories in operation in the year to March 2008 has been compiled and submitted to provincial authorities for action.
Each year, DoE draws up a list of polluting units which are obliged to pay tax for emitting pollutants each year, the official said.
“Based on the law half the sum is allocated to fighting pollution from the same factories and the rest is given to the municipalities of cities in which the number of polluting units is low,“ he noted.
Asilian stated that Isfahan and East Azarbaijan provinces, with 172 and 165 polluting factories, stand second and third respectively after Tehran.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently said that housing is an exigency of the society and the bare needs of all the people for housing should be met by using the minimum means available, Persian daily ’Donyaye Eqtesad’ reported.
“Profiteering in the housing sector must be brought under control and this is on the government’s agenda,“ he noted. As long as economic infrastructure is not rectified, the national economy will continue to face problems. Land and housing market is considered the most important section of the economy. Unless mechanisms of this market and related infrastructures are corrected, other sections of the economy will also face problems. Drawing up policies to resolve the housing dilemma does not necessarily mean that infrastructures of other economic sectors are neglected. In fact, they complement each other.
Although modern technology does have an impact on the duration and cost of housing projects, the use of technological advances depends on having suitable economic grounds. In other words, constructors will be more inclined to use state-of-the art technology when they are assured that the capital recovery rate in the housing sector is higher than purchasing and maintaining plots of land. However, the situation here is reverse. In Iran, people who buy and maintain plots of land pocket more profit than those involved in construction projects. As long as such conditions persist, technological advances will never be utilized in construction projects. This is while modern technology helps save time and lower costs.
Unlike most countries--developed or developing--where state involvement in the real estate sector is quite high, the presence of the government in Iranian housing projects is a meager five percent.
Given this, it has become evident that the absence of the government in construction projects has merely aggravated the critical situation of the housing sector. Experience has it that in countries where the government has been significantly involved in the real estate sector, policies are adopted to support the supply side and also to control profiteering.
That is on the one hand these governments have increased the supply in a bid to reach equilibrium between supply and demand and on the other hand controlled the demands that are aimed at gaining unconventional profits through taxation. It is customary in most parts of the world to levy taxes on repeated land and housing transactions to prevent profiteering. Based on the taxation policy, those who buy and sell land or houses in short intervals are subject to taxation.
The important point is that the real estate taxation system should be levied in such a manner that it does not affect the other demands of the market. This way profiteering will be brought under control and supply and demand can reach equilibrium.

Oil minister has invited potential investors and experts in the petrochemical industry to participate in the sector’s projects.
Speaking at the Eighth Iran Petrochemical Forum (IPF) on Saturday, Gholamhossein Nozari said that an estimated $30 billion will be required to meet the target set for the petrochemical industry in Vision 2025, according to Press TV.
This amount of investment could be realized through domestic participation and/or joint technical and financial cooperation of domestic and foreign investors, he added.
Iran owes a major part of its achievements in the petrochemical industry to the expertise and capabilities of its own engineers and technicians and the country’s comparative advantages as well as its vast hydrocarbon reserves, particularly natural gas, the minister noted.
Iran’s regional and global geo-political and geo-economic location, trained and skilled workforce, growing domestic markets and acceptable level of infrastructural facilities are additional attractions for investors wishing to become involved in the petrochemical sector, IRIB quoted the minister as saying.

Iran has made notable progress in developing hydroelectric power plants in recent decades, chairman of the dams and floods committee at The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) told IRIB.
Louis Berga who is in Iran to attend the second conference on dams and hydroelectric power plants added that hydroelectricity is considered one of the most important sources of renewable energy in the world.
Currently, hydroelectric power plants supply some 20 percent of the global demand for electricity, he noted.
He referred to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Iran as the leading countries in constructing hydroelectric power plants.
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) was founded in Paris in 1928. The objective of the Commission is to promote progress in design, construction, operation and maintenance of large dams, by collecting and studying relevant data and questions.
The Commission has contributed to the development of dam construction techniques, whose realization is closely related to the economic development of the particular country.