A deputy manager at the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), Shahrokh Khosravani, announced the launch of a new gasoline producing facility in the Isfahan refinery and the first phase of the Persian Gulf Star Refinery. The two new facilities will put an end to “the import of the gasoline to cease from the next Iranian year (March 2015).”
From the beginning of the current year (started March 2014) an average of 5 million liters of gasoline per day has been imported, he added, Mehr news agency reported.
Referring to the huge Isfahan oil refinery project Khosravani noted, “The construction and installation phases have been completed.”
It has not been possible to supply the catalyst from outside Iran due to the sanctions, said the deputy. “A plan is being designed by Iranian experts to produce it inside the country.”
He anticipated that the catalyst would be supplied and installed by March. The new gasoline production unit has the capacity to produce approximately 4 million liters of Euro4 gasoline per day.
Khosravani said that the Persian Gulf Star condensate refinery project has made 70% progress. “The first phase of the refinery will commence next year (March 2015).”
The Bandar Abbas oil refinery project is also in its final phases. He gave reassurances that Iran would not need to import gasoline in the coming year, once these projects come on line.
The government’s early projection for gasoline imports in the present Iranian calendar year has decreased to 4.7 million liters per day, down from the 10 million liters. This is due to the increasing production capacity of refineries and lower consumption.
Iran’s gasoline production in 2014 saw a daily 3.5 million liter increase compared to the previous year.
Currently 62 to 63 million liters of gasoline is produced in refineries each day, while less than 70 million liters is consumed.
The increasing demand for gasoline should see through the completion of the first phase Persian Gulf Star refinery and an increase in gasoline production capacity in the other refineries, while reducing heavier fuels production.
