Potentials of greenhouse gas emission reduction through energy efficiency improvement in Iran's petrochemical sector

Abstract

Reducing energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency is a key strategy to mitigate greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the petrochemical sector, both because of the high share of energy-related emissions and because of the economic attractiveness in terms of return on investment. This paper aims to calculate the GHG mitigation potentials of the energy reduction projects in Iran's petrochemical sector. firstly, we estimated the trend of GHG emissions until 2035 using data collected from the petrochemical complexes in Iran. Then, by assessing the energy audits and other studies, we calculated the energy consumption reduction potentials as well as their costs and benefits for petrochemical complexes. Finally, we modelled the energy supply and demand of the petrochemical sector in LEAP software to evaluate the mitigation potentials of the energy reduction projects. The results show that a 6.7 % emission reduction in the existing petrochemical complexes can be achieved with a capital of about 160 million dollars. The net present value of the projects will be about 2 billion dollars, and the cost of carbon reduction will be −60.7 dollars per ton. The results of this research can be used for policymakers to plan the mitigation pathway of the sector since the revenues obtained from the energy conservation measures can be used to fund capital-intensive GHG mitigation projects.