Tehran, Iran, Sept. 19
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran has the biggest CNG vehicles fleet in the world. Managing Director of Iranian Fuel Conservation Company Nasrollah Seifi said that currently there are 3.3 million CNG-consuming cars in the country, Iran's SHANA News Agency reported on Sept. 1.
"It is while the country is not even among the top ten countries in the world in terms of CNG stations," he added.
"Iran's CNG consumption was around 5 million liters per year in the Iranian calendar year of 1381 (ended March 20, 2003), but the figure reached 7 billion in the calendar year of 1391 (ended March 20, 2013)," he said, adding the figure shows over 1,400 percent increase.
Iran constructed 188 CNG stations in the past 12 months.
The oil ministry has also signed contracts for construction of nearly one thousand new stations, bringing the total number to over 3,000, Iran's SHANA News Agency reported on Aug. 31.
Managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), Abbas Kazemi, said on Aug. 27 that currently there are over 2,200 CNG stations across the country, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported. Iran inaugurated 20 new CNG stations on the occasion of the Government Week (August 23-29).
According to Kazemi, Iran's current CNG consumption rate stands at 21 million liters per day, equal to 20 million liters of gasoline.
"An increase in the country's CNG consumption will lead in a decrease in Iran's gasoline consumption," KAzemi explained.
The head of the union of Iranian CNG station owners, Ardeshir Dadras, said on July 7 that some 90 percent of the major cities' taxis, as well as 60 percent of the vehicles used in public transportation sector are currently using CNG.
According to Dadras, there are totally 17 million cars and 9 million motorcycles in Iran.
"With 17 million cars, Iran totally has 5,000 gas stations, while neighboring Turkey with 9 million cars has 12,800 gas stations," he explained.
Iran's oil ministry announced on May 14 that it plans to construct 1,000 new CNG stations across the country. Once the stations come on stream, Iran's gasoline consumption would be cut by over 20 million liters, Iran's IRIB News Agency reported on May 14.
Kazemi said on June 24 that Iran's CNG consumption rate will also reach 30 million liters per day by March 20, 2016.