A view of Khangiran gas refinery in northeastern Iran[/caption]TEHRAN (FNA)- The growing gasoline consumption and the cost-ineffectiveness of its imports for economic and security reasons have prompted the new Oil Minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, to prioritize production of this strategic energy carrier, the oil ministry said.
"Since 2003, seven refineries have been designed to be constructed for a daily production of 108 million liters of gasoline, 83 million liters of gasoil, 25 million liters of fuel oil, 17 million liters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 14 million tons of kerosene," the oil ministry's website said.
With the formation of the administration of President Hassan Rouhani and his special economic outlook to increase productivity in the different sectors of the oil industry which is the engine of Irans economy, acceleration of effective and lucrative projects like Persian Gulf Star Refinery have topped the agenda, the website added.
Persian Gulf Star Refinery is projected to produce three 120,000-barrel trains. Its construction started in 2003 with a capital investment of 1.6 billion dollars. The refinery will be able to raise the countrys gasoline production by nearly 35 million liters. The facility will supply domestic needs and will also make Iran a leading exporter of gasoline.
Persian Gulf Star is the first refinery designed to be fed by gas condensates. It contains distillation, liquefied gas refining, catalytic conversion, naphtha refining, isomerization, kerosene refining and gasoline refining sections.
The refinery is to produce 35 million liters of 95-octane gasoline, two million liters of LPG, 13 million liters of gasoline, three million liters of jet fuel and 130 tons of sulfur a day. It will be fed through a 485-kilometer pipeline stretching from gas refineries in Assaluyeh.
The average daily gasoline consumption stands at 64 million liters while the countrys output is nearly 61 million liters a day. Therefore, gasoline production facilities like the Persian Gulf Star Refinery will be instrumental to that effect.
"The first phase of the Persian Gulf Star Refinery is to come on stream with a daily production of 12 million liters of gasoline and 6 million liters of gasoline. But the projection did not come true due to financial shortages. Thus, the new oil minister is determined to speed up the project," stressed the website.
Zanganeh, a veteran oil manager who started his term on Saturday, will focus on big refinery projects, including the Persian Gulf Star as part of his short-term plans, added the oil ministry.
Persian Gulf Star and similar refinery projects will help Iran meet its domestic needs and also become an exporter of this strategic product.
By Fars News Agency
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