Iran to boost daily gasoline output by 16mln liters

Senior Iranian oil ministry officials announced that the country's gasoline production capacity will rise by 16 million barrels per day up to the end of current Iranian calendar year (20 March 2012).National Iranian Oil Refining And Distribution Company (NIORDC) Managing-Director Alireza Zeighami told the oil ministry's website, Shana, that by completion of the second phase of development plan of the Imam Khomeini (Shazand) oil refinery and launching Shahid Tondgouyan (Tehran) oil refinery's gasoline making unit, gasoline production capacity of the country would increase this year by 7.5 and 1.8 million liters per day respectively. "By launching gasoline making unit and completion of cat cracker complex of the Abadan oil refinery, which came on line in first half of the current Iranian year, gasoline production capacity of the country increased by 3.9 million liters per day while by implementation of the second phase of the development plan total gasoline production capacity of the refinery would rise by another 2.3 million liters per day up to the end of this year," the official noted. According to Zeighami, ongoing development plan at Lavan oil refinery, which will come online early next year, will add another 1.9 million liters per day to gasoline production capacity of the country. Another plan that will be operational early next year is gasoline making unit of Tabriz oil refinery by which gasoline production capacity will rise by one million liters per day. In connection to the Isfahan oil refinery development plan, NIORDC's managing director said, "Two large plans are underway at the refinery including a gasoline making unit that is aimed at increasing gasoline production capacity of the refinery by 1.8 million liters per day early next year and an upgrading plan for rising gasoline production by 7.4 million liters in long term." Bandar Abbas oil refinery will also deliver 2.5 million liters of gasoline per day as of next year. Stating that implementation of oil refining projects has narrowed the gap between production and consumption of gasoline in the country, NIORDC's managing director said completion of these plans would turn the country into an exporter of the product. Completion of development plans, upgrading and gasoline making projects across the country, will increase gasoline production capacity of the country by 23 million liters per day while at the same time total gasoline production will reach more than 70 million liters per day. Iranian motorists consumed 59 million liters of gasoline per day last week. Despite increasing the number of vehicles, Iran's gasoline consumption is falling following the implementation of targeted subsidies plan in December last year that has rationalized gasoline consumption across the country to a great extent.