TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chairman of the board of directors of the Union of Exporters of Petroleum, Gas and Petrochemical Products Seyed Hamid Husseini says Iran may become gasoline importer because of high consumption in the summer.
Speaking to ILNA, Hosseini said that there is this possibility of facing gasoline shortage in the summer because of the consumption, adding that the country should reactivate refining activities with identifying the weak points or else the country may be forced to import oil products.
On the possibility of exporting gasoline by Iran,he said that due to rise in the daily gasoline which has reached 120m liters per day, the refineries are unable to export gasoline and therefore nobody expects gasoline exports from those refineries but some refineries like Shazand, Bouali and Nouri which have petrochemical units and some mini-refineries which produce gasoline or light hydrocarbon continue exports, and major gasoline demands of Afghanistan market which is some 100,000 to 150,000 liters per month are provided by these refineries and some is exported to Iraq market. He added that some good quality gasoline product of mini-refineries is also exported to the UAE.
He reiterated that all refineries now are working with full speed and capacities but it is possible due to the rise in consumption in the summer and the country could face gasoline and it may force the country to import gasoline or the country will have to reactivate some refineries.
Hosseini went on to say that of course refineries are now in a better condition and in case they can sell more gasoline and gas oil, they will do it because they will earn more. He noted that no refinery prefers to produce naphtha and sell it at $700 or $800 per ton while it can earn some $1150 for gas oil and $150 for gasoline per barrel.
Hosseini admitted that Iran’s oil products have faced a new rival which has entered the market and it is Russian oil products which are becoming major rival of Iranian products.
He went on to say that by the way now India buys crude oil from Russia with cheaper price and it has made Iran face trouble in exporting its bitumen to India which has been the major exporting destination for Iranian products, noting that in the past three months Iran’s bitumen exports to India have declined by 100,000 tons per month and it has dropped from 430,000 tons to 330,000 tons.
Hosseini reiterated that on the whole, the value of Iran’s oil exporting products has increased because of the rise in the international prices.
