Iran Inks Deal with China to Redesign Arak Reactor
Representatives of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a Chinese company on Sunday signed a contract in Vienna, Austria, to redesign the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor.
Signing the deal took place at the premises of Iran’s mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Vienna. It is a turning point in redesigning and modernization of Arak heavy water reactor.
It is also a major step towards implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between Iran and the G5+1(US, UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany) in 2015.
Based on the contract, the Chinese side is to verify and confirm that the new design of the Arak reactor which was carried out by Iranian specialists, is based on international safety standards.
Copies of documents related to primary designing of the Arak reactor which was complete in March 2017 by the Iranian specialists and are significant for the next phase of the reactor’s redesigning, will be delivered to the Chinese side.
Iran and China have had several rounds of intensive negotiations in the past 12 months to discuss technical details about the contract. The talks concluded two weeks ago in Beijing, China, and officially signed in Vienna on Sunday.
The contract signed today in Vienna, is the beginning of a number of more comprehensive contracts to be inked for completion and re-installation of the Arak reactor in the future.
Iran, Norway agree on petrochemical cooperation
On the other hand, Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC) of Iran signed an agreement on development of polypropylene technology and the relevant catalyst with Norwegian Company of Norner.
The agreement was signed on Sunday by Managing Director of PRTC EsmaeilQanbari and Director of Business Development of Norner Company Lars H. Evensen on the sidelines of the 13th International Conference on Iran Petrochemical Industry.
In the signing ceremony, Qanbari said that to promote downstream and supplementary industries of petrochemical industry in Iran and compensating shortages of propylene in the next 10 years, National Petrochemical Company (NPC) function would be propylene-oriented.
He reminded that past year polypropylene unit with capacity of 2,400 tons was launched in Arak and for the first time its catalyst was successfully tested with indigenous know-how.
Qanbari said nominal capacity of polypropylene production in Iran was close to 965,000 tons until 1392 (2013), and added that increasing the capacity to 4 million tons in the sixth development plan and 8 million tons until the end of seventh development plan indicates the necessity to achieve indigenous know-how to produce this material for future plans.
He said that duration for the signed agreement with Norwegian company is 10 years.
Low investment, high employment and more value-added are among the most important peculiarities of downstream or supplementary sectors of petrochemical industry, which is so important for investors and industrial policy-makers.
Petrochemical industry production capacity in Iran is 62 million tons annually which is to increase to 72 million tons until the end of this year considering post-JCPOA era.
IRNA
R.S