Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 23
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's average gasoline consumption was around 65 million liters per day in the week to Dec. 19, some 3 million liters less compared to preceding week, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported Dec. 23.
Totally some 456.1 liters of gasoline were consumed in Iran in the mentioned week, meanwhile the total gasoline consumption stood at 477.1 during the week to Dec. 12.
Dec. 18 with 74.4 million liters, and Dec. 13 with 59.4 million liters respectively recorded the highest and lowest rate of gasoline consumption in the week.
Iran's average super gasoline consumption in the mentioned week stood at around 16 million liters.
The country's gasoline output is currently around 62 million liters, so it needs to import the rest. The Islamic Republic currently only imports Euro-4 gasoline.
Earlier Shahrokh Khosravani, deputy director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) said that once the Persian Gulf Star refinery's gasoline production unit comes on stream, the country's total production capacity will reach 96 million liters per day.
"Then Iran will be able to export the surplus gasoline which is around 20 million liters per day," he noted.
Iran's private sector will be permitted for the first time to import and sell gasoline to the country, according to the next year's (to start on March 21, 2015) draft budget which is under review in parliament.
The private sector can import and sell the mentioned products, however, the market regulation will continue to remain under the responsibility of the oil ministry, according to the draft budget.
Iran used to import 40 percent of its needed gasoline by 2009. But the international sanctions forced it to produce gasoline domestically by adding lead or some poisonous chemical catalysts such as MTBE to the product. MTBE is a highly poisonous substance which causes cancer. It is banned worldwide to be used for gasoline production.
The administration of President Hassan Rouhani ordered to stop the distribution of substandard gasoline.
Umid Niayesh is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh
