A shift from standards recommended by the American Petroleum Institute (API) to Iran's own industry standards is being studied by a group of Iranian experts, director of the center for research & technology at the National Iranian Oil Company announced Saturday, Shana news agency reported.
"This is a sensitive issue and there should be more discussions on the subject to assess the advantages and disadvantages of possible change," Ali Emadi stated, noting that the choice will impact the development of equipment and standards for the oil and natural gas industry.
Changes to industry standards has for years been regarded an important issue at the oil ministry, Emadi said, adding that a working group was formed recently to evaluate the feasibility of a shift from API standards to the practices endorsed by the Iranian Petroleum Institute (IPI).
The group is studying the case to see if such a move will be reasonable. "We want to know which way we should choose: to completely localize the oil and gas industry standards or just upholding international, and not US-proposed, practices," the NIOC official suggested.
API is the largest US trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent about 400 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the petroleum industry. API distributes more than 200,000 copies of its publications each year. The publications, technical standards, and electronic and online products are designed, according to API itself, to help users improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their operations, comply with legislative and regulatory requirements, and safeguard health, ensure safety, and protect the environment. Each publication is overseen by a committee of industry professionals, mostly member company engineers.
Emadi asserted that Iran should learn from the experience of other countries in adopting new standards for its vital oil and gas industry. He pointed to Russia as a good example, which used its own set of technical standards, known as GOST, until recently, but had to shift to international norms so as to maintain the competitiveness of its products in the global markets.
