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projects including the development of the giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.
According to the press release from oil ministry-aligned news agency, the MOU was signed by CEO of Petropars Group Hamid Reza Masoudi and Seyed Abdullah Mousavi, CEO of NIDC.
The two companies reportedly stressed the need to provide conditions for cooperation in the implementation of future petroleum projects—but did not mention which projects they had in mind.
Petropars has been instrumental in carrying out ​South Pars​ ​projects. Its latest project in the field, Phase 23, saw the installation of a platform last November. The 2,500 tonne structure, to act as the second main platform for Phases 22-24 (SP22-24), was installed by an HL-5000 vessel. Earlier it was reported that Petropars was carrying out the platform assignment in place of a Chinese investor.
Petropars is owned by Naftiran Intertrade Co. (NICO), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
9.2.2 ​Automotive corporate news
Reopening of IKCO auto sales in Iran attracts 350,000 would-be buyers
Iranian electric bike producer gets green light for mass production
More than 350,000 people signed up on the website of second largest Iranian automaker Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) for its end-of-May sales restart following a two-month delay in the enterprise once more making vehicles available to buyers, Tasnim News Agency has reported.
IKCO and SAIPA—which lately overtook IKCO to become the number one auto producer in Iran—rule the road in the Islamic Republic, running a duopoly over the Iranian car market. Such is the misarranged state of auto sales in Iran, imported cars, which make up less than 5% of overall sales, get stuck in port-side yards for up to three years, as state officials work out pricing for vehicles.
Sales website, esale.ikco.ir, which serves as the main portal for IKCO online sales, saw some 350,000 people who signed up for vehicle purchases receive a user code enabling them to play a part in one of the largest pre-order events in recent memory.
The sale of vehicles comes after delays in reopening the portal in recent weeks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Iran. It partially shut down auto production. Another factor in the delay was a recent hike in vehicle prices brought in by the buyers’ protection commission.
Following a successful registration, buyers are in with a chance of purchasing one of four models via an online lottery. Apart from IKCO vehicles there are two Peugeot models,
A buyer that wins through and obtains an option to purchase a car has 48 hours to pay the remainder of the deposit.
Iranian startup Bana Sharif Electric Vehicle Group has received permission to start mass production following the testing of its own electric bike design, IFP has reported.
Bana Sharif is among several joint venture companies that have emerged from the four-year-old accelerator programme at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology. It was created to commercialise postgraduate projects and generate income for the university. Prior to the creation of the accelerator programme, many Sharif graduates emigrated to the US and elsewhere to continue their research, according to Persian-language media reports.
Bana Sharif is a JV formed by the university and local motorcycle company Jahanro. It previously produced old Honda motorcycle montage kits.
56​ IRAN Country Report July 2020 www.intellinews.com