Azerbaijan, Baku, Jun.21/ Trend R.Zamanov/
Iran has started distributing gasoline conforming to Euro-4 in four cities, deputy oil minister Alierza Zeyqami said on Friday.
Tehran, Karaj, Ahvaz, and Arak are the four mentioned cities, the Mehr News Agency quoted Zeyqami as saying.
Once the gasoline production units of Lavan, Esfahan, Bandar Abbas and Tabriz refineries come on stream, the country's production capacity of gasoline conforming to Euro-4 will rise to 50 million litres per day.
By inauguration of these projects, distribution of Euro-4 gasoline would be started at four more cities including Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Mashhad and Esfahan, he said.
The country's production capacity of diesel oil conforming to Euro-4 and Euro-5 would also rise to 40 million litres per day by the end of the current Iranian calendar year which ended March 20, 2014. Zeyqami explained.
Zeyqami had previously said that once the gasoline production units of Lavan, Abadan and Tabriz refineries come on stream, the country's gasoline production capacity would be increased by six million litres per day.
The projects will come on stream in six months, the IRNA News Agency quoted him as saying.
Thereafter the country's gasoline production capacity would surpass Iran's consumption rate so we can stop production of gasoline in the petrochemical complexes, he explained.
Zeyqami had said in February that the country will stop producing gasoline in petrochemical complexes by the end of the Iranian month of Khordad (June 21).
He announced in April that by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (March 2016), Iran's gasoline exports wouldl reach 30 million litres per day.
After the Arab Spring, some giant oil companies including Shell and Total have halted their projects in the revolution-hit countries. So, Iran has offered these Arab states the facility to complete their oil and gas projects, the ISNA News Agency quoted Zeyqami as saying.
The Arabian countries have welcomed the offer, he confirmed.
The neighbouring Arab countries are also eager to buy oil products from Tehran, Zeyqami added.
He also went on to note that Iran plans to boost its gasoline production up to 70 million litres by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, deputy oil minister said.
The U.S. imposed sanctions to curtail Iran's imports of gasoline in 2009. Previously, Iran used to import 40 per cent of its domestic gasoline need.
Iran's average gasoline consumption stood at around 71.6 million litres per day in the previous Iranian calendar year, the ISNA News Agency reported.
According to Zeyqami, once the first phase of the Persian Gulf Star refinery comes on stream Iran's gasoline output capacity will reach 100 million litres.