BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. A contract worth
$18.5 million was signed between the National Iranian Oil Refining
and Distribution Company (NIORDC) and the Iranian company Zamyad on
May 21 in Tehran, Trend reports, citing information from NIORDC.
The agreement involves the production of 30,000 "Nissan" pickup
trucks by Zamyad, which will be designed to operate on dual fuel
(CNG and gasoline).
At the signing ceremony, Keramat Veys-Karami, NIOPDC's CEO,
stated that Iran currently has around 2,360 CNG fueling stations
with a daily capacity of 40 million cubic meters.
He also noted that gasoline consumption in the country continues
to rise, with daily consumption now reaching 129 million liters.
One way to reduce gasoline consumption is by increasing the use of
CNG, which has become a priority in Iran’s energy policy.
“Until now, 350,000 dual-fuel vehicles have been produced in the
country. Increasing the production of dual-fuel vehicles through
cooperation with automotive manufacturers will further contribute
to the country’s economy,” said Karami.
The official added that the production of 30,000 pickup trucks
under the newly signed contract will reduce gasoline consumption by
220 million liters annually, resulting in a savings of $90 million
for the national economy.
On November 15, 2019, Iran raised the price of gasoline,
increasing the subsidized rate from 10,000 rials (about $0.01) to
15,000 rials (about $0.03), while the free market price surged to
30,000 rials (about $0.05). In 2020, Iran allocated 65 trillion
rials (about $114 million) to convert 1.46 million public transport
vehicles, including pickup trucks, vans, and taxis, to dual-fuel
systems. This initiative is expected to save the country 12 million
liters of gasoline daily. The plan to retrofit these vehicles with
dual-fuel systems free of charge is set to be completed within 14
months.
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