Iran inked the first post-sanctions petrochemical contract with a Swiss firm for construction of finishing unit of a petrochemical company in Assaluyeh.
Swiss Welding Engineers Ltd inked a contract with Sadaf Petrochemical Assaluyeh Company to construct finishing area of the project.
This is the first contract signed between an Iranian company and its foreign partner in the petrochemical sector in the post-sanctions era.
The two companies signed the contracts after very difficult negotiations on Saturday evening.
Managing Director of Sadaf Petrochemical Assaluyeh Company Ahmad Jazayeri said the Swiss company will help his company to build a plant for production of the synthetic polymer ESBR, a strategic product used in the petrochemical industry and rubber manufacturing.
He said that the ESBR will be produced for both domestic use and export to global market including Europe.
The Italy’s Versalis and Maire Tecnimont as the major company which is helping to build the plant, confirmed the Swiss Welding Engineers Ltd for design, construction and startup of the finishing area of the project, the official added.
He noted that the Swiss Welding Engineers Ltd will be responsible for drying, wrapping and packaging process at the final stage of production of the ESBR before presenting to the market.
ESBR stands for emulsion styrene butadiene rubber. With the launch of this production line, 136,000 metric tons of finished products in five categories will be manufactured a year, two of which will be used in production of tires and the rest in the plastic industry.
The plant is the first in Iran and the region and the product is environmentally-friendly, with hazardous substances deleted in the production process.
The technology license for production has been obtained from Italy’s Versalis and Maire Tecnimont whose know-how is regarded among the world’s advanced.
Higher car security, eco-friendly features, and lower fuel consumption are the key parameters cited in the advantages of ESBR production.
Much of the ESBR produced in Iran will go to domestic use and the surplus will be exported where there is a high demand for the substance in eastern Asia, especially in China.