Iran's Asphalt Overproduction, Bitumen Quality Criticized

Iran’s asphalt production exceeds domestic demand by more than 115 million tons, said the head of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, Davoud Keshavarzian, at the Eighth Bitumen and Asphalt Conference & Exhibition. The three-day event opened in Tehran on Tuesday. “We need close to 25 million tons of asphalt per year for road maintenance. The municipalities use a further 10 million tons. This is while 900 asphalt producers in Iran churn out more than 150 million tons every year,” Keshavarzian was quoted as saying by IRNA. He added that only 14 out of 62 bitumen plants in Iran are said to meet the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s quality standards.  According to the official, 60% of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s budget are spent on renovation of road asphalt every year due to the low quality of domestic products.