TEHRAN – Average daily gasoline consumption in Iran fell to 75 million liters in the previous Iranian calendar month of Azar (November 22-December 21) following the implementation of the rationing scheme, according to the managing director of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC).

“The average daily consumption of gasoline in the 30-day period of Azar reached 75.5 million liters, a decrease of 15.9 percent compared to 89.8 million liters in the same period last year,” Amir Vakilzadeh told Shana.

According to the official, the fall in gasoline consumption as a result of the implementation of the rationing scheme is significant because the country’s fuel consumption was following an upward trend before gasoline was rationed.

“The average daily gasoline consumption since the beginning of the [current Iranian calendar] year (started on March 21) was about 94.4 million liters, which showed a 6.1-percent increase compared to the average daily consumption for the previous year,” Vakilzade said.

In the mentioned period, an average of 134.400 million liters of gasoil was also consumed in the country, which shows an increase of 41.3 percent compared to the same period last year, he said.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had earlier pointed to curbing consumption and increasing export capacity as the most important goals of the gasoline rationing plan.

Vakilzadeh had also predicted that with the implementation of the Fuel Management Plan, the daily consumption of gasoline in the country would be reduced by 8-10 percent over the next three or four months.

In mid-November, The Iranian government started rationing of subsidized gasoline and increased fuel prices as part of a plan to reduce the energy subsides to use the revenue for supporting underprivileged families.

Later that month, deputy finance and economic affairs minister said the fuel rationing plan would make the country able to export 3.65 billion liters of gasoline every year and earn about 14 trillion rials (about $3.3 billion) from the exports.

“On average, 100 million liters of gasoline is produced in the country on a daily basis. If we could reduce fuel consumption by 10 million liters and sell it to other Persian Gulf neighbors, we would export about four billion rials (about $952,000) a day, that would be 14 trillion rials a year,” Mohammad-Ali Dehghan Dehnavi told ILNA.

EF/MA