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Iran no longer produces gasoline in petrochemical complexes

Business Materials 22 September 2014 17:06 (UTC +04:00)

Tehran, Iran, Sept. 22

By Milad Fashtami - Trend:

Head of Iran's Department of Environment, Masoumeh Ebtekar, said that no petrochemical complex across the country produces gasoline anymore.

"The previous government's officials should be held responsible for their decision to continue producing highly polluting gasoline," she said, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on September 22.

In the past couple of years Iran's petrochemical complexes used to produce gasoline and octane booster to meet domestic demands. However, Ebtekar and other official repeatedly said that the gasoline produced in petrochemical complexes was highly polluting.

The current administration finally decided to stop producing gasoline the petrochemical complexes. Iran now only distributes gasoline conforming to Euro-4 standard in major cities.

"Using gasoline conforming to Euro-4 standard has reduced the air pollution of Tehran, Karaj, Arak, and Tabrik cities," Ebtekar said.

Iranian petrochemical complexes started producing gasoline once the United States put gasoline trades with Iran under sanctions.

Managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), Abbas Kazemi, said on April 13 that Iran plans to daily import 10 million liters of gasoline to compensate for stopping production of gasoline in petrochemical complexes.

He said the government has ordered the petrochemical complexes to stop producing gasoline, adding that the country's gasoline imports were around 3.5 million liters per day in the previous calendar year, which ended on March 20.

Last year, according to PSI (Pollutant Standards Index), Iran had 147 days during which air quality was substandard. Two years ago, this number stood at 217 days.

The air over Iran's capital, Tehran, is among the most polluted in the world. Experts say many Iranians suffer serious health problems as a result.

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