Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.16
By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend:
For the first time since 2005, Iran resumed diesel export due to declining liquid fuels consumption at its power plants.
Iran exported 1.7 billion liters of diesel during 330 days of current fiscal year, the Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company Seyed Naser Sajjadi told Mehr on Feb.16.
He added that the declining liquid fuels consumption in power generation sector during current year led to diesel export resumption.
According to Iran's Energy Ministry's latest statistics, the diesel and mazut consumption in power plants decreased by 30.7 percent and 31.4 percent respectively to 5.3 billion and 6.2 billion liters during 322 days of fiscal year.
The statistics indicate that Iran used 2.345 billion liters less diesel in power plants during 11 months, year-on-year.
On the other hand, Iran's net diesel imports stood at 1.533 billion liters during last year, according to statistics, released by the National Iranian Oil Refining & Distribution Company.
Sajjadi didn't clarify how Iran could export 1.7 billion liters of diesel, while the deference between Iran's gas oil usage decline in power plants and last year's net imports are only 0.812 billion liters, however, it seems the country's diesel consumption in other spheres also decreased or the production level increased during the current year.
It's first time since 2005 that Iran returns to exporting diesel. The country's major gas oil clients are Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
Iran has announced recently that 2.9 million liters of diesel was exported to Tajikistan. Sajjadi added that Iran has started diesel export to Africa recently.
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Best regards;
Dalga Khatinoglu