Baku, Azerbaijan, March 8
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's average gasoline consumption stood at 68.642 million liters per day in the week to March 6, some 986,000 liters more compared to preceding week.
Totally some 480.5 million liters of gasoline were consumed in Iran in the mentioned week, meanwhile the total gasoline consumption stood at 487.4 million during the week to Feb. 27, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported March 8.
Feb. 28 with 75.2 million liters, and March 6 with 57.5 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 26.1 million liters.
Gasoline consumption in capital city of Tehran hit 101.7 million liters in the week to March 6, 3.1 million liter less compared to the previous week. The average consumption per day amounted to 14.528 million liters, showing 443,000 liters per day decrease week on week.
Feb. 28 and March 5 with 15.3 million liters per day, and March 6 with 13.6 million liters recorded the highest and lowest rate of gasoline consumption in Tehran in the mentioned period.
Iran'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.
The country's total production capacity will reach 96 million liters per day by next fiscal year (to start on March 21), once the Persian Gulf Star refinery's gasoline production unit comes on stream.
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.
Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh