Baku, Azerbaijan, May 18
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Gasoline consumption in Tehran hit 102.6 million liters in the week ended on May 15, eight million liter more compared to the previous week.
The average consumption per day amounted to 14.657 million liters, showing 1.143 million liters per day increase week on week, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported May 18.
May 14 (Thursday) with 16.5 million liters per day, and May 10 (Sunday) with 13.8 million liters recorded the highest and lowest rate of gasoline consumption in the mentioned period in Iran's capital.
Daily gasoline consumption in Iran was about 71.742 million liters in the week ended on May 15, which indicates a 2.9 million liters rise compared to the preceding week.
The weekly consumption amounted to 502.2 million liters, showing 20.3 million liters increase week on week.
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.
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, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate added to gasoline to boost octane levels and to help fuel burn cleaner. While it's been replaced by ethanol in the U.S. after it contaminated drinking water, other countries still use it. Its offensive odor and taste can render water undrinkable, while its health effects are unclear.
The administration of President Hassan Rouhani ordered to stop the distribution of substandard gasoline.
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