NIOC Announces Measures to Comply With Clean Air Act Regulations 

In lines with policies to fight against air pollution, the Oil Ministry has allocated close to $20 billion not only to boost the quality of its refined products but also to collect associated petroleum gases from oilfields, director of health, safety and environment (HSE) of the National Iranian Oil Company said.
“The 35-article Clean Air Act drawn up by Department of Environment has tasked the Oil Ministry with specific actions and we are determined to do our fair share of curbing air pollution,” the Oil Ministry’s news service quoted Mazaher Ansari as saying.
Outlining details about the ministry’s plans, he said that measures can be categorized in six packages that include enhancing the quality of refined oil derivatives, raising natural gas delivery to petrochemical and power plants, distribution of quality gasoline and diesel in large cities, converting vehicles to CNG-hybrid, recovering gasoline vapor at pumps and collecting APG from the oil and gas fields.
One of the most effective action plans is to boost petroleum byproducts’ quality in major oil refining companies across the country, he added.
“Gasoline and diesel produced in Isfahan, Shiraz, Lavan, Abadan and Tabriz refineries are now compliant with Euro-4 and 5 emission standards.”
Referring to natural gas delivery to industrial units, he noted that power plants and petrochemical firms have been supplied with 23 million cubic meters of the eco-friendly fuel [compared to mazut] per day over the last 10 months, indicating a 4% rise in comparison with a year ago.
According to the official, free conversion of 220,000 vehicles into compressed natural gas hybrids can also contribute to reduce pollution in big cities.
So far 80,000 vehicles have been converted to CNG hybrids and the remaining will be done gradually.
The scheme offers free of charge conversion services to drivers of taxis, pickups and commercial vehicles.
The Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade has announced 400 certified retrofiring centers in 25 provinces to implement the national scheme. 
Each center can refit seven vehicles a day. The plan is expected to curb daily gasoline consumption by 12 million liters.
According to official reports, of the total 19 million vehicles in Iran, more than 5 million have hybrid CNG engines. 
Convincing people to switch to natural gas has long been on the government agenda. 
With incentives CNG consumption has reached 20 million cubic meters per day, but the government is trying to further increase the use of this clean fuel.

Recovering Gasoline Vapor

Highlighting the Oil Ministry’s other measures, he added that the second phase of a plan to recover gasoline vapor at pumps is also being carried out.
“The development of Phase II of the project, which entails the installation of special fuel dispensing nozzles at pumps, is on fast track as the equipment to recover gasoline vapor is being imported.”
He noted that the first stage of the plan was carried out in all 3,400 filling stations across the country in 2020.
Stage I gasoline vapor recovery systems capture vapors expelled from underground storage tanks as tankers undertake refilling.
Equipment for stage I vapor recovery included fittings for gasoline storage tanks to accommodate vapor recovery hoses from the tank truck and pressure vacuum vent valves to minimize the loss of vapor from the storage tank vents.
Gasoline vapor recovery systems are implemented at two stages, he said.
Stage II captures gasoline vapor that would otherwise be vented during individual vehicle refueling at gas stations, he added.
Last but not least, NIOC is undertaking five initiatives simultaneously to reduce gas flaring to zero in southern and western oil and gas fields.
“The ongoing projects will help collect 30 million cubic meters of associated petroleum gases (APG) per day to make better use of them instead of letting them burn at flares.” 
APG collection has been a concern for four decades and now the Oil Ministry is doing all it can to reduce it by at least 50% in two years, he added.
Giving a breakdown, he noted that two ventures worth $1.3 billion are being implemented to increase APG collection in the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery and decrease gas flaring in the East and West Karoun oil fields in Khuzestan Province.
“Each of them has made 36% progress and they are expected to be completed by 2025.”