Tehran, Iran, May 21
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
National Iranian Oil Company's officials are not in favor of importing gasoline to the country.
Seyed Mohsen Qamsari, an official with the National Iranian Oil Company, said that the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) should explain why the country is still exporting gasoline, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on May 21.
"Iran spends NIORDC's revenues to import gasoline," he explained.
He went on to note that the country is not bartering oil for gasoline.
It is while Managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), Abbas Kazemi, said previously that importing gasoline is economically justified for Iran.
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Hossein Zarabbi also said on May 20 that none of the officials are in favor of importing anything into the country, but the nation's needs should be met, so gasoline import for Iran is inevitable, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on May 20.
"Iran has even experienced importing 35 million liters of gasoline per day in the past," he said, adding that CNG consumption has lowered the country's need to import gasoline considerably.
Iran's oil ministry announced on May 14 that it plans to construct 1,000 new CNG stations across the country.
Once the stations come on stream, Iran's gasoline consumption would be cut by over 20 million liters, Iran's IRIB News Agency reported on May 14.
Currently 2,175 CNG stations are operational across the country.
Iran's gasoline consumption is around 65 million liters per day.
The country currently imports 5.5 million liters of gasoline per day.
Kazemi, said on May 11 that the average figure was around 3.5 million liters previous year, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.
"If the country's consumption rises, we need to import more gasoline," he explained.
Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that once Persian Gulf Start refinery's gasoline production unit comes on stream, the country no longer needs to import gasoline, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on May 6.
The facility will come on stream next Iranian calendar year (to start on March 21, 2015).
Kazemi previously said that Iran's gasoline reserves currently stand at over 2 billion liters.