IRR 31,000 bn for Gasoline Quality
The 11th festival of national environment award was held this year in order to introduce and reward scientific skills and efforts. This award was first introduced in 2000 in line with Article 46 of the executive bylaw incorporated into Environment Protection and Optimization Law adopted by the Environment Supreme Council.
Among people who received awards was Iran’s petroleum minister Bijan Zangeneh. The minister was awarded the plaque of honor for his contribution to improving the quality of fuel and other petroleum products. Zangeneh received the award from First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri.
Innovations, inventions, creativity and projects that would reduce costs and prevent pollution or destruction of the environment on a large scale as well as presenting practical projects and conducting valuable and effective studies and research on preventing environmental pollution and destruction are among the criteria for qualification for this national environmental award. Various reports by state bodies have confirmed that the Ministry of Petroleum has managed to improve the quality of gasoline consumed in the country.
Addressing the ceremony, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Department of the Environment, said discussions in the 9th parliament about fuel produced by petrochemical plants “wasted our time and energy and put us at the receiving end of media attacks”.
“Several cases of inquiry were launched against us, but with the help of Iranian ministers of petroleum and health and the head of Iran National Standards Organization we managed to call a halt to fuel production by petrochemical plants, which was dangerous and did not respect standards and regulations,” she said.
In addition to halting gasoline production at power plants, the Ministry of Petroleum has also taken effective steps for doubling petrochemical production by the end of the 6th Five-Year Economic Development Plan.
According to Zangeneh’s estimates, Iran will become an exporter of high-quality gasoline after the first phase of Persian Gulf Star Refinery becomes operational.
Zangeneh had earlier said that many do not differentiate euro-4 and euro-2 grade gasoline from substandard gasoline and that is why they do not understand the task carried out by the 11th administration.
Zangeneh and Ebtekar were facing many challenges in order to prove their mission. Moreover, distribution of standard gasoline in the cities was very difficult and breathtaking. But it is done now.
Minister Zangeneh had made it clear that he was never for obstinacy and politicization, reiterating his determination to improve the quality of fuel in the country.
In addition to psychological and political costs, the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum has spent IRR 31,000 billion for improving the quality of gasoline in the country. As part of its plans for improving the quality of fuel, the petroleum ministry devised numerous development and reforming plans at Tehran, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Abadan and Lavan refineries. Furthermore, increasing gasoline production, treatment of gasoil, kerosene, light and heavy naphtha as well as catalytic conversion were among the important development projects carried out at refineries across the country. In the wake of implementation of development plans for gasoline production, euro-4 gasoline production has increased in recent years. The quality of gasoil production has been also upgraded.
The award given to Zangeneh after three years was due to preventing the emission of 1,500 tons of sulfur a day, preventing the consumption of petrochemical industry solvents and 93% reduction in the benzene content in the air.
Add to this long-term investment by Zangeneh in gasoline self-sufficiency. This investment is fully domestic