Tehran, Iran, Jun. 11
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran has temporarily stopped the gasoline imports into the country, Iran's Tasnim News agency reported on June 11.
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Abbas Kazemi said that the country has stopped importing the Euro-2 standard gasoline, and will instead focus on importing gasoline conforming to Euro-4 standard in July.
He went on to note that the gasoline reserves of the country are at good level, adding that the country's consumption rate has dropped to 62 million liters per day.
It was reported previously that Iran's gasoline reserves currently stand at over 2 billion liters.
Kazemi also said that Tehran will become self-sufficient in gasoline production by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2016).
He went on to note that Iran's CNG consumption rate will also reach 30 million liters per day by March 20, 2016. The country's current CNG consumption rate stands at 21 million liters per day.
Shahrokh Khosravani, deputy director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), said that Iran will be able to export 20 million liters of gasoline per day as of next year.
"Currently the country produces 60 million liters of gasoline per day," he said on June 9. "Iran's gasoline consumption currently is around 70 million liters per day, so we need to import 10 million liters of gasoline each day."
"Once the Persian Gulf Star refinery's gasoline production unit comes on stream, the country's total production capacity will reach 96 million liters per day," Khosravani added. "Then Iran will be able to export the surplus gasoline which is around 20 million liters per day," he noted.
He went on to note that the first phase of the Persian Gulf Star refinery) with the capacity to produce 12 million liters of gasoline per day) will come on stream by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2016).