Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 21/ Trend M. Moezzi
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said thanks to his targeted subsidies program, Iran has avoided paying $15 bln for petrol imports and his will be a major petrol exporter by next year, Mehr News reported.
Iran plans to boost its oil refining capacity to 3.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 2013) from the current volume of 1.7 mbpd, deputy oil minister Alireza Zeighami said.
Development plans are underway in seven refineries nationwide.
Iran's oil refining capacity increased 18 percent last year, the biggest growth among OPEC members, according to the Annual Statistical Bulletin of the 12-member organization.
The capacity rose to 1.74 million barrels a day from 1.47 million in 2009 as facilities in Abadan, Arak, Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Lavan and Bandar Abbas expanded.
Iran says gasoline consumption has declined to 60 million liters per day due to cutting subsides since December 2010.