Iran unveils catalyst for use in refinery in Venezuela

An Iranian company sponsored by the country’s Oil Ministry has unveiled a first home-made catalyst that is planned to be installed at cracking unit in a refinery in Venezuela, a country where fuel production has faced disruptions in recent years because of parts shortages caused by US sanctions.

The catalyst manufactured by Eksri Novin Asia was unveiled in a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday where Iranian deputy oil minister Jalil Salari, who also leads the country’s state-run fuel company NIORDC, was in attendance.

A report on NIORDC’s website said that the catalyst will be a first of its type made in Iran that will be installed in a refinery outside of the country.

The report did not clearly mention that the catalyst has been produced to serve the needs of refineries in Venezuela, a country which produces heavy grades of oil.

However, earlier reports had indicated that the device was ordered by Venezuelan authorities during a trip to Tehran by President Nicolas Maduro in June 2022

Iran has been supplying equipment and technology to Venezuela’s oil sector to help the country in its efforts to offset the impacts of US sanctions.

Iran’s technical support has helped Venezuela restore production in its oilfields and refineries and cope with a major shortage of fuel caused by the sanctions.

Under arrangement reached with Venezuela, Iran supplies its grades of crude oil to refineries in the South American country where they are processed into other products with greater commercial value, such as gasoline.

Back in 2018, Iranian companies had managed to manufacture catalytic cracking devices needed in the country’s refining industry.

SS