TEHRAN - Average daily gasoline consumption in Iran rose 11 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), according to the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC).

Jalil Salari also said that the country’s average daily gasoline production has reached 115 million liters.

He added: "Unfortunately, gasoline consumption is rising exponentially in the country, as we had a 20 percent increase in gasoline consumption in 1400, while last year we had an 11 percent rise, and without a doubt, special attention should be paid to fuel consumption management."

There are now 29 million cars in the country, and the number is rising, and on the other hand, the amount of fuel consumption in the country is far from world standards, and cars are high-consuming, which should be taken into consideration, the official added.

The NIORDC managing director further explained that the annual entry of one million cars into the country's transportation fleet is equivalent to one billion liters of gasoline consumption, and this requires the construction of a refinery with a daily refining capacity of 150,000 to 200,000 barrels, which takes at least four to five years

“We must think economically and manage fuel consumption so that production in the value chain is considered and we should not destroy resources and national capital with incorrect consumption”, the deputy oil minister reiterated.

Over the past few years, the Islamic Republic has managed to not only become self-sufficient in gasoline production but also become a net exporter of the strategic fuel, however, the significant increase in domestic gasoline consumption in recent months has once again raised concerns about the need for imports.

Iran became a net gasoline exporter in February 2019, after the inauguration of the third phase of the Persian Gulf Star Refinery (PGS) project which added 120,000 barrels to the country’s daily gasoline production.

MA