Omid Shakri, Deputy Minister of Oil and CEO of the National Petrochemical Company, today in his first news program with the media, emphasized the necessity of reforming energy consumption patterns in the country. He stated that policies to reduce the intensity of energy consumption have been formulated and communicated with the aim of improving energy consumption, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly has also approved the law for reforming consumption patterns.
40% Increase in Energy Consumption Intensity
Shakri pointed to the statistics of 2023, stating that not only has the energy intensity not halved, but it has also increased by about 40%. This indicates that the implementation of policies to reduce energy intensity has not been pursued with sufficient seriousness, and the country is about a decade behind in the area of energy consumption reform.
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The Role of the Petrochemical Industry and Public Participation
Shakri added: The petrochemical industry can play an important role in this area, as this industry provides a significant portion of the country's foreign exchange earnings and industrial production. He also emphasized the importance of public participation in the national campaign for optimizing energy consumption, stating that this participation could lead to the release of excess energy consumed in non-productive sectors and its allocation to productive economic sectors.
The Deputy Minister of Oil also reported a saving of about 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas in energy optimization projects in the petrochemical industry over the past four years. He noted that currently about 680 megawatts of solar power plants are under construction, and 200 megawatts of this capacity will be operational this year.
Challenges of the Petrochemical Industry and Economic War
Shakri described the conditions of the energy industry after the recent war as difficult, stating that during the war, the energy industry was damaged and part of the production capacity was lost. He added that with the efforts of colleagues at the National Oil Company and the National Gas Company, some of the lost capacities have been restored, and he hopes that soon all these capacities will return to the production cycle.
Shakri concluded by inviting the public to participate in the national campaign for optimizing energy, saying: This year is a tough year, and people can help the country by understanding the circumstances. He also thanked the Minister of Oil and the National Gas Company for supporting optimization projects.
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