The relocation of Tehran Oil Refinery is a costly venture and the implementation of such a major project is next to impossible at least in the near future, deputy interior minister and head of the National Disaster Management Organization said.
“Large cities in Iran, especially the sprawling Iranian capital, have not been expanded based on civil engineering codes. A large number of buildings have been constructed in the vicinity of Tehran refinery, which is a big cause for concern,” Esmaeil Najjar was also quoted as saying by ISNA on Sunday.
The official made the statement following a huge fire that broke out at the oil refinery in southern Tehran on Wednesday night.
Putting the blame on Tehran Municipality, Najjar noted that the facility, known as Shahid Tondgouyan Refinery, was built half a century ago when it was far from the city.
“But the city expanded due to wrong policies adopted by TM, which issued construction permits in the proximity of the refinery and fuel depots. As cities grow, perhaps our most serious concern should be how they expand into the surrounding areas,” he said.
Contrary to popular belief, urban settlements have not only expanded demographically over the past century, but they have also sprawled outwards – covering some of the country’s most valuable farmlands in the process.
“Based on urban planning and development rules, launching construction initiatives up to a certain distance from oil and gas pipelines is forbidden, but the laws have been violated over the past 40 years,” he said.
It was not immediately clear what started the blaze. Temperatures in Tehran reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Hot summer weather in Iran has caused fires in the past.
Possibility of Sabotage
Shaker Khafaee, the head of Tehran Oil Refining Company, said a leak at a liquid gas pipeline at the facility sparked the fire, but the cause of fire will be investigated, ruling out the possibility of sabotage.
The Oil Ministry’s news agency said it was caused by a leak in two waste tanks at the facility.
Jalal Maleki, spokesman of Tehran Fire Department, told state TV that 10 firefighting stations, including 60 heavy operating vehicles and more than 180 firefighters, took part in the operation to battle the blaze.
Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh visited the scene on Thursday. While seeking to assure the public, the fire would not affect production, Iranians queued up for gasoline on Thursday morning.
By Thursday, fires had been contained, according to Hamed Armanfar, the refinery's CEO.
Armanfar told IRNA that the fire brigades' efforts had successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to other tanks.
“All operations, which had been suspended at the facility, resumed on Saturday,” he said.
Eleven people were injured in the huge fire broke out at state-owned oil refinery in Tehran, the head of Tehran’s emergency medical services Payman Saberian said.
Tehran Oil Refinery is located 15 kilometers south of the capital. Its nominal crude refining capacity is 250,000 barrels a day. It produces 7 million liters of unleaded gasoline with octane ratings of 87 (regular) per day. The company’s daily diesel output is 8 million liters.
Fuel Depots
Keramat Veiskarami, the head of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, was quoted as saying by ISNA that three fuel depots in the vicinity of Tehran are safe and there is no need for relocation.
“Shahran fuel depot in northwestern Tehran, Rey oil storage facility in the south and Qouchak depot in the northeast of the capital meet the safety criteria expected of such units,” he added.
He was responding to a recent report issued by Tehran City Council, which cited some members as claiming that fuel depots in the proximity of the sprawling capital are extremely hazardous and if an incident (manmade or natural) occurs, casualties will be heavy.
Rejecting the TCC warning, Veiskarami said, “Insofar as the location is concerned, the facilities are safe. These are vital to supply gasoline to the capital. Security protocols are checked and updated regularly and there is no reason to worry.”
Majid Farahani, a Tehran councilor, said lessons should be learnt from the blast in Tehran due to the negligence of storing toxic chemicals in urban areas.
Flammable Chemicals
Farahani warned against storing highly flammable chemicals in and around different cities of the country, especially Tehran.
“The northwest fuel depot is located on Tehran’s northern faultline in Shahran district. It should be transferred to a safer place sooner rather than later. The fuel tanks should be retrofitted against all possible risks,” he said.
In 2014, Ahmad Masjed-Jamei, a member of Tehran City Council, had noted that the fuel depot in Shahran on the northwestern flank of the capital is beyond the municipality’s jurisdiction for decades.
However, with the expansion of the city’s boundaries over the years, it is now within the city precincts.
“The immediate relocation of the fuel tanks may not be possible, but some measures can be taken to reduce the risk of tanks bursting during earthquakes and other disasters,” he added.
Calling Shahran facility a "hydrogen bomb", Farahani said the depot, with its huge tanks, is right in the middle of a huge residential district and around 300 tankers, each with a capacity of 30,000 liters, pass through residential streets to load and unload fuel.
The Shahran facility was built in 1974 outside the city boundaries but the area has expanded into a densely-populated area in the past 20 years.
“In the past 15 years, several fuel tankers have had accidents that caused residents to panic,” Farahani said.
The official reiterated that Shahran faces danger 300 times a day, hence relocating storage facilities like fuel and chemical storage depots from around Tehran should be a priority.
