Tehran, Iran, June 24
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran can save up to $150 million each year by stopping production of reformate in petrochemical complexes, and instead import Euro-4 gasoline from foreign countries.
Managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), Abbas Kazemi, said that to stop making reformate as octane booster is economically justified for the country, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on June 24.
"Producing reformate in the petrochemical complexes and mixing it with gasoline costs around $90 per ton more than importing high-quality gasoline," he said.
He went on to note that the country will start importing gasoline conforming to Euro-4 Standard in less than a month.
"Iran will refuse to accept consignments of low-quality gasoline at the ports," he said.
Kazemi said on June 11 that Iran has not imported gasoline in the past month.
Iran's deputy oil minister went on to say that the country has stopped importing gasoline, because it wants to import gasoline conforming to Euro-4 standard.
"Iran was importing gasoline conforming to Euro-2 standard, but we have agreed to start importing gasoline conforming to Euro-4 standard in July," he explained, Iran's Tasnim News agency reported on June 11.
He went on to note that the gasoline reserves of the country are in a desirable 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).
"Iran will become gasoline exporter in two years," he said, Iran's ISNA News Agency reported on June 11.
He went on to note that Iran's CNG consumption rate will also reach 30 million liters per day by March 20, 2016.
"Iran'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, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported 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," he explained.
"But 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 said.
"Then Iran will be able to export the surplus gasoline which will be 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).