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IPF 2001 New Visions

120-Year Old
Partner in Assaluyeh

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Aldo Belloni arrived in a rush to the second day of IPF, and was caught by cameras right away. The Executive Board Member of Linde AG was facing a lot of questions given the volume of his company’s cooperation with NPC. Here are his statements in response to our questions just minutes before he made his presentation.

Deep Roots: Linde AG, now 120 years old, is a very well-established company. We have 47,000 employees. We have some major businesses including process engineering, commercial refrigeration and industrial gas, where we produce gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon-monoxide.

Process Technology for Iran: With regard to Iran specifically, we are here to provide process technology for ethylene plants, oxygen plants and natural gas processing. So Linde AG is very much engaged in all of the NPC projects in Bandar Imam and Assaluyeh. We are designing and building two crackers for ethylene, both in Bandar Imam, and two natural gas plants one in Bandar Imam and the other one in Assaluyeh. These plants are the largest in the world.
As for the gas processing plant in Assaluyeh, it is going to use the natural gas feed, with 91% of ethane recovery rate and 98% of propane recovery rate.

NPC’s ambition to achieve a 2% global share by the end of the Third Development Plan is a very realistic goal provided that they keep the pace of the last 3-4 years

Growing the Business: The capacity of new crackers built by Linde indicates a noticeable expansion in the years leading to 2005. Speaking at the Iran Petrochemical Forum, I will be elaborating on specific investment cost for crackers and relative prices in NE Asia. The cash cost of ethylene production will also be discussed.

Realistic Ambitions: NPC’s ambition to tap 2% global share in the petrochemical market by the end of the Third Development Plan is a very realistic goal on the condition that they keep the pace of the last 3-4 years. I think NPC is determined to do that, but it is also important that the Iranian suppliers and contractors are able to satisfy this demand.
At the same time, it can be very challenging because it means tapping a lot of resources in terms of money and people. I think probably the major bottleneck is people. Therefore, I hope that major Iranian contractors especially those specialized in the fabrication and erection of plants will demonstrate their capabilities and fill the required positions.

Second Experience: IPF 2001 is my second experience with the forum. I have attended the first IPF but skipped the second. I think this is a very well-organized event. The speakers are excellent, providing very up to date information on very actual topics. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet a lot of people. The management of NPC is giving a lot of attention and visibility to this forum. I believe IPF should be continued in the future since its concept is just adequate for the needs of the country.

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