Gasoline Consumption Up 8% in Six Months

According to Shana, consumption of the fuel soared to 88.2 ml/d on average between August 23 and September 23, showing an 8.4% rise compared with last year's corresponding figure of 81.4 ml/d.

Reportedly, Iranian people burnt as much as 104.6 million liters of gasoline on September 23, the highest amount of consumption in a single day this year. Iran’s all-time daily consumption record, 105.9 million liters, was set on March 31, 2016, during the annual Norouz (New Year) holidays.

Diesel consumption in August 23-September 22 reached an average of 79.2 million liters per day, indicating a 5.2% rise compared with the corresponding figure of last year, namely 75.3 ml/d. In the first half of the current year, 77.9 ml/d of diesel were burned, up 5.4% compared with the same period of a year ago, Financial Tribune reported.

According to Mohammad Reza Mousavikhah, a deputy at the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, gasoline consumption increased due to post-sanctions economic prosperity and an increase in automobile production and import.

"Gasoline inventories and domestic production are at such levels that there is no ground for concern over a possible shortage of the fuel in the near future," Mousavikhah said earlier this month.

Iran has 37 main gasoline distribution centers with various storage capacities. The provinces of North Khorasan, Tehran, Mazandaran and Gilan have the biggest gasoline inventories, as they normally host the largest number of travelers throughout the year.

  Compliance With Standards

According to the Oil Ministry's website, Euro-4 quality gasoline distributed in the country by the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company complies with international standards.

Rejecting speculations about the high proportion of sulfur in the fuel distributed in Tehran, which was asserted by officials of Tehran Air Quality Control Company (TAQCC), a subsidiary of Tehran Municipality, NIORDC noted that prior to the distribution of Euro-4 gasoline, the fuel contained as much as 350 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur, yet this amount has plummeted to 50 ppm, which is within global limits. Officials in TAQCC recently announced that samples from random filling stations across the capital were analyzed and the results revealed alarming levels of dangerous substances.

However, NIORDC said in a statement, "There are no concerns over the quality of Euro-4 gasoline distributed in mega cities." It added that concerted efforts have been made to facilitate the process of monitoring the quality of fuel on a regular basis and as of 2014, special refineries have been selected to provide metropolitan areas with the much-needed fuel.

According to published reports, the cities of Tehran, Shiraz, Ahvaz, Karaj, Isfahan, Arak and Mashhad are now receiving 22 million liters of Euro-4 gasoline per day.