MNA– Iran’s oil minister told the media on Tuesday that with completion of the 1st phase of Setareh Khalij Fars Refinery, Iran will stop importing gasoline from March.


“The first phase of Setareh Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf’s Star) Natural Gas Condensate Refinery will be tapped in near future and consequently Iran will become self-sufficient in producing gasoline,” said Iran's Minister of Petroleum Bijan Njamdar Zanganeh on Tuesday

The Iranian oil minister recounted that the refinery is almost ready to open and all efforts are aimed at tapping the plant before the end of the current Iranian year (on March 20) while there is a possibility of a little delay. Zanganeh reassured that the construction is currently undergoing non-stop in three working shifts.

Abbas Kazemi, the MD (Managing Director) of Iran’s National Company of Refining and Distributing Oil Products had already told Mehr News Agency in an interview that the first phase of Setareh Khalij Fars Natural Gas Condensate Refinery will have a daily output of 12 million liter gasoline of the quality which meets Euro-IV emissions standards.

“While there was a 3.9 percent rise of gasoline consumption in the first 7 months of the current year, there is an expectation to have the number under 2% by the end of the year,” had speculated Mr. Kazemi, the Iranian Deputy Oil Minister in that interview.