Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.16/ Trend G. Mehdi/
Iranian researchers at the Collegiate Jihad Organisation of Fars Province succeeded in producing high quality gasoline from methanol as the country is moving toward self-sufficiency in gasoline production, the IRIB quoted the head of the Collegiate Jihad, Masoud Rastegar, as saying.
Considering the increasing consumption of gasoline and the pressure of global sanctions, researchers at the organisation embarked on producing gasoline from methanol, he added.
A number of petrochemical projects will come on stream by the end of this year (March 20, 2013), which will boost the country's gasoline output by around 12 million litres per day, to hit 70 million litres per day, the National Iranian Oil Production and Distribution Company's managing director Alireza Zeighami said in May.
Gasoline production units at the Imam Khomeini, Shazand, Abadan, Tondgouyan and Lavan refineries will be put into operation by the end of the year, Zeighami said.
Iran exported over 132,000 tons of gasoline, worth around $134 million, last year. According to the Customs Administration data, gasoline exports rose by 127 per cent in value and 108.5 per cent in volume respectively, compared to the previous year.
Armenia, Afghanistan, the UAE, Iraq and Oman were the destinations for Iranian gasoline.
Iranian gasoline imports have slumped by as much as 95 per cent over the last four years according to official government data, as rising refinery capacity and lower fuel subsidies help neutralise Western sanctions aimed at starving Tehran of fuel.