Baku, Azerbaijan, March 16
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's gasoline consumption stood at 24.912 billion liters since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2014) till March 15, indicating a rise by 432 million liters compared to the same period of the last year.
The average daily gasoline consumption reached 69.2 million liters during this period, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported March 16.
Iran's gasoline output is currently around 62 million liters, so it needs to import the rest. The Islamic Republic only imports gasoline conforming to Euro 4 standard as importing Euro 2 gasoline has been banned.
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.
Over 49.86 billion liters of liquid fuel including diesel oil and fuel oil were also consumed in Iran since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2014) till mid-March in total, 6.624 billion liters less compared to the same period of preceding year.
Over 36.252 billion liters of gas oil were consumed during the period in the country, meanwhile total fuel oil consumption stood at 13.608 billion liters.
Average daily gas oil and fuel oil consumption stood at 100.7 million and 37.8 million liters respectively in the period.
Gas oil consumption in the 360-day period witnessed a fall by 1.404 billion liters, meanwhile fuel oil consumption registered a decrease by 5.22 billion liters year on year.
Iran's total liquid fuel output (including gasoline, diesel oil, fuel oil and kerosene) is a little more than 265 million liters per day.
Iranian oil ministry seeks to decrease liquid fuel consumption in the country by boosting gas consumption, particularly in power plants. Iran aimed to boost gas supply to power plants to 1,483 billion cubic feet this year to reduce gas oil and fuel oil burning in this sector.
Over 83 percent of total electricity output in Iran is generated in thermal power plants, fueled by diesel oil, fuel oil and natural gas.
The country used 1,271 billion cubic feet of gas, as well as 28 billion liters of gas oil and fuel oil for power generation during last fiscal year, ended on March 2014.
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