Close to 80% of gasoline meets Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards, chief executive officer of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said Wednesday.
"Of the NIOPDC's total output at 112 million liters per day, almost 90 million liters is compliant with international standards," Alireza Sadeqabadi was quoted as saying by ILNA.
He said the quality fuel was not produced in Iran up until 2015. It was not until 2016 when refineries in Isfahan and Arak started producing 17 ml/d and 11 ml/d of this quality of fuels respectively.
When the Persian Gulf Star Refinery in Hormozgan Province went on stream in 2017, approximately 28 ml/d of fuel, with sulfur levels set by the European Union, was added to the total production capacity.
The bar set by the EU says sulfur level in the fuel should not exceed 50 parts-per-million.
Tabriz and Bandar Abbas refineries started to produce 12 ml/d and 3 ml/d of Euro-4 gasoline in that year and output of eco-friendly gasoline reached 60 ml/d.
The figure now amounts to 90 ml/d. The quality of gasoline distributed nationwide is on par with Europe, he said.
NIOPDC head says this achievement has noticeably decreased the number of days when schools and state offices had to be closed due to air pollution.
Supplying quality diesel to the three main southern port cities, namely Bandar Abbas, Chabahar and Bushehr, is important as they are among major routes for many trucks and trailers
Rejecting claims that the gasoline produced at petrochemical plants is the main reason for air pollution, he said it could be a contributing factor four years ago, but not now.
This is while tests on Euro-4 gasoline carried out by the Tehran Air Quality Control Company have showed high amounts of sulfur, although NIOPDC dismisses the claim.
Referring to diesel, he said Euro 4 and 5 diesel is sold nationwide since December 2018.
Bandar Abbas Refinery in Hormozgan Province produces 14 million liters of diesel per day that is sold in Bandar Abbas and Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Bushehr and Kerman.
3 Major Ports
“Supplying quality diesel to the three main southern port cities, namely Bandar Abbas, Chabahar and Bushehr, is important as they are among major departure and destination points for many diesel-fueled trucks and trailers.”
Daily diesel output in Tabriz Refinery, East Azarbaijan Province, is three million liters and available in East and West Azarbaijan, Ardebil and Kurdistan provinces.
Bandar Abbas, Tabriz, Arak, Tehran and Lavan refineries produce 42 million liters of Euro 4 and 5 diesel a day. The fuel is sold in Tehran, Markazi, Isfahan and Alborz, Zanjan and Yazd provinces.
Total quality diesel output has reached 70 ml/d, up 17 ml/d compared to 2018.
“The new hydrogen purification units in Bandar Abbas and Tabriz refineries have increased the quality of diesel and daily production by 75%,” the news agency quoted him as saying.
The units have reduced the amount of sulfur produced in the refineries from 10,000 pmm to 50 pmm that is within global limits. In other units, it has fallen from 10,000 pmm to10 pmm–complying with Euro 5 standards.
European emission standards define the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of vehicles. Euro 4 and Euro 5 concentrate on cleaning up emissions from diesel cars, especially reducing particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.
