Iran will increase the export of diesel, kerosene and furnace oil to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq by March 20, 2015, said the managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC).
Nasser Sajjadi added that this became possible with the rise in gas delivery to power plants which resulted in an 8.3 billion-liter decline in liquid fuel consumption, state run IRNA reported on Sunday.
The NIORDC chief put the consumption of kerosene, diesel and furnace oil in the country in the past 11 months at 10 million liters, 100.7 million liters and 37.8 million liters respectively.
Sajjadi noted that in the same period, furnace oil, kerosene and diesel consumption showed a decline of 28 percent, 15 percent and 4 percent respectively compared with the corresponding figure of last year. In the same duration of last year, consumption of kerosene, furnace oil and diesel amounted to 11.76 million liters, 52.5 million liters and 104.89 million liters respectively.
“Since mid-March 2014, more than 46 billion cubic meters of gas have been supplied to domestic power plants which has helped reduce liquid fuel consumption,” he said.
Sajjadi noted that during March 2014-15, 69.2 million liters of gasoline were consumed in the domestic market indicating a 7.7-percent growth compared with the figure of last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2014), which was 64.25 million liters.
The official said development of CNG industry increase in gas delivery to power plants, improvement in public transportation fleet and implementation of effective pricing and non-pricing strategies as well as the launch of the second phase of Subsidy Reform Plan helped reduce gasoline consumption.
“In case Iran had not implemented the Subsidy Reform Plan, gasoline consumption would have reached 143 million liters per day while the figure currently amounts to 70 million liters,” he said.
Sajjadi said the country’s capacity to store oil byproducts, particularly gasoline, has increased by 550 million liters since March 21, 2014. “This was achieved with the launch of new storage depots in Mahshahr, Shiraz and Malayer,” he said.