The amount of mazut used by power plants across the country has dropped to 9%—down from 43% in 2013—and is expected to reach zero by the end of the current Iranian year (ends March 20, 2017).
Referring to mazut as a heavy and highly polluting fuel, Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Department of Environment, said the government’s policies are aimed at completely eliminating mazut from the country’s power plants, ISNA reported.
“Most power stations in the country are currently using natural gas and must begin to employ combined cycle processes to generate power and improve their efficiency,” said Ebtekar, adding that the use of mazut has been banned by the DOE.
Mazut is a heavy, low quality fuel oil used in generating plants and similar applications and emits large quantities of pollutant into the air. In many countries, it is blended or broken down into more conventional petrochemicals such as diesel.
Reducing the consumption of heavy and highly-polluting fuels in power plants and industrial units to zero is a declared policy of DOE.
Mazut output in domestic refineries is expected to be cut by more than 90% by 2025.
Besides mazut prohibition, all industries are required to abide by rules and standards related to emission of pollutants.
“The government has recently updated the standards and industries across Iran have been notified of the changes,” she said.
The notification involves measures to prevent air pollution, such as using standard filtration and waste management to prevent the contamination of groundwater resources and soil.
Pointing to industries’ solemn duty toward waste management, Ebtekar said industrial waste must be disposed as per DOE guidelines.
“The department will act strictly and swiftly … Even minor offenses are not tolerated,” she said.
