Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.18 /Trend F.Milad/
Iran's gasoline production capacity will surpass 70 million litres per day by the end of April, 2013, the deputy Iranian oil minister said on Tuesday.
Iran's gasoline production capacity currently stands at around 55 million litres per day and once the RFCC unit of Shazand Refinery comes on stream, the country's capacity will reach 65 million litres, the Mehr News Agency quoted Alireza Zeighami as saying.
Zeighami, also the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), went on to note that four other gasoline production units will be inaugurated by the end of April and once they start their production Iran's gasoline production capacity will reach 70 million litres per day.
Iran's average gasoline consumption is 64 million litres per day, he added.
The managing director of the National Iranian Oil Engineering and Construction Company Farhad Ahmadi said on December15 that Iran needs to invest 150 million euros in some of its refineries to boost the nation's gasoline production capacity by six million litres per day.
Once the development plans at the Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery and the RFCC unit of Shazand Refinery come on stream, Iran will stop producing gasoline in petrochemical complexes, the Mehr News Agency quoted Ahmadi as saying.
The development plan of the Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery is now 75 per cent complete and is projected to come on stream in 9 months, he added.
Iran Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on September 21 that Iran will boost its gasoline production capacity by 10 million litres in the near future.
"Once the third development phase of Abadan Oil Refinery and the RFCC unit of Shazand Refinery come on stream, the country's gasoline output will be increased by 10 million litres," he said.
Iran exported over 132,000 tons of gasoline worth around $134 million, last year.
According to the Customs Administration data, gasoline exports last year increased by 127 per cent in value and 108.5 per cent in volume, respectively, compared to its preceding year.
Armenia, Afghanistan, the UAE, Iraq and Oman were the destinations for Iranian gasoline.
According to official government data, Iranian gasoline imports have slumped by as much as 95 per cent over the last four years as rising refinery capacity and lowering fuel subsidies help neutralise Western sanctions aimed at starving Tehran of fuel.