Whispers of critics of the oil industry

7/4/2022 2:08:20 PM  ۰ Comment   ۴۷۲۲ Hits

Whispers of critics of the oil industry

Iran once again felt the bitter taste of sanctions in its palate, a bitter taste that many high-ranking officials of the government remember in the first period of sanctions as a new opportunity for the life and renewal of the industries and economy of our country. they used to do; A dream that, of course, could never come true.
On May 18, 2017, the President of the United States officially announced that the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This news told about the new round of sanctions against the country; Sanctions, the destructive effects of which affected Iran's oil industry first of all.

Due to the constant and day-to-day worries of the oil industry in the post-Jarq era, every day it faced a big barrier of dos and don'ts, and to fulfill its national mission in developing oil and gas fields and increasing Iran's share in world markets. Energy had to fight against the opponents who threw a new stone at its feet every day in the guise of sympathizers of the system.

The culmination of these stonewallings was the approval of the new form of oil contracts, in which the participation of the world's most prestigious companies was carried out with the two main goals of benefiting from foreign capital and transferring technical knowledge to the country's oil industry. Although the Ministry of Oil was finally able to prove the legitimacy and attention to national interests in these contracts and obtain the necessary permits for the use of these contracts, this resolution was like a panacea after Sohrab's death, because shortly after the approval of the new contracts of the oil industry and When it was about to bring new life to the body of the oil industry with the opening of the door of international cooperation, the storm of American sanctions blew again and the hand of the Iranian oil industry was cut short from joint cooperation with reputable global brands.

Between these events, space was once again provided for some political games. Critics of the government once again found the opportunity to praise the achievements of the Ministry of Oil without referring to their stonewalling and wasted opportunities in the development plans of the oil industry, which caused billions of dollars in losses to the Iranian nation. In the period after the JCPOA, they will be criticized.

Among the issues that were the cause of many tribunes of this faction was the 4.8 billion dollar contract for the development of the 11th phase of the South Pars common gas field, which was supposed to be led by the French company Total and in the form of a consortium consisting of this French company and the national company. China Oil (CNPC) and Iran's Petropars will come to an end.

The contract, which was based on the initial roadmap, guaranteed total investment and transfer of technical know-how to the interior of the country, and with the completion of the 11th phase development plan, it would bring billions of revenue to the country.

Claimants with a not very acceptable track record

In the meantime, in addition to the media, some critics always appeared on the stage and brought the sharp blade of criticism to the heart of Iran's oil industry. While criticizing the performance of the Ministry of Oil in cooperation with Total in the Phase 11 development plan, they claimed that they have reached self-sufficiency in all sectors of the oil industry and construction projects, and there is no reason for the presence of foreign companies such as Total.

The protests, which started only three days after the signing of the first new oil contract with Iran for the development of phase 11 of South Pars, complained to the government and the president that it was unfair to ignore the domestic capacity in this contract.

The scope of these protests expanded further after the new round of sanctions and Total's withdrawal from the Phase 11 development project contract, and the withdrawal of this well-known French company from Iran's oil industry, paved the way for other sharp criticisms from the Ministry of Oil, but Whether Iranian companies alone have the possibility of taking over the megaprojects of the oil industry or not, is the answer that can be answered by taking a closer look at the history of the presence of this large contracting company in the Iranian oil industry (as a handful of examples). We arrive, especially since this company with the high power it has achieved during its economic activities in the last two decades, has always had incomparable facilities with other contractors.

After the 2 thousand and 12 million dollar contract for the development of phases 2 and 3 of South Pars by Total in February 2001, which was the origin of the formation of the phases of South Pars and the production of knowledge and technology in the development of this joint field with Qatar, in early July 2005 The contract for the development of phases 15 and 16 was signed with a local contractor; The contract, which was delayed for about five years, was implemented until 2014, and in these 9 years, billions of dollars of Iranian capital were wasted by the withdrawal of gas from the Qatari side. On the other hand, a major part of the by-products produced in this phase was supposed to be used as feed for domestic petrochemicals, which, due to the lack of timely injection of resources, while Iran is lagging behind in the global petrochemical trade and its effects are worthy of political attention. , other significant financial losses were also incurred on the country's economy.