An official at Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) says if domestic compressed natural gas (CNG) industry is not developed, gasoline imports to Iran will increase fivefold.

Ali Shams Ardekani, member of the Energy Committee of ICCIMA was quoted by Iranian media as saying on Sunday that more than four billion liters of gasoline was imported last year and if domestic CNG industry is not developed properly, the figure will increase five times.

�Iran enjoys the world�s largest hydrocarbon reserves and in view of the growing share of gas in the world energy basket, Iran's role in global energy market is on the rise,� he added.

The official noted that increasing the output of natural gas and substituting it for liquid fuel is among the most important goals of Iran taking into account that the country has one of the world�s biggest gas reserves as well as vast gas transmission and distribution network.

Noting that a daily total of about 21 million cubic meters per day of natural gas is being consume as fuel at CNG stations across the country, Shams Ardekani said, �If share of CNG in country�s automobile fuel basket is increased, it would be possible for the Iran to� reduce domestic consumption of other oil products and �export more products� to other countries.

He added that Iran has turned into the world�s biggest producer and consumer of CNG clean fuel during the past decade and is followed by such countries as Pakistan, Argentina, the United States and Australia in this regard.

In early September, Iranian media quoted Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh as saying that the country has been importing about 8 million liters of gasoline per day since mid-March, with the figure showing a two-fold increase compared with the six-month period that preceded it.

According to Zangeneh, the overall value of gasoline imports stands at above USD 800 million, which could be alternatively used to build a refinery with a daily processing capacity of 60,000 barrels per day.

By Press TV