President Backs Small Gasoline Production Refineries

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed the necessity for building small refineries in different parts of the country to produce gasoline and gasoil for domestic consumption and to be able to export the products of giant refineries.
“If we build small refineries in the country, they will be able to produce gasoline and gasoil in the next ten years, and we can export the products of the big refineries,” Ahmadinejad said in a ceremony to inaugurate Iran’s Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (IRPI) in Tehran on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Fars News Agency reported.
He referred to Iran’s long-term strategy to develop its energy and oil industries, and said, “We have invested $25 billion in the oil industry in recent years.”
Iran has expanded its refining capacity during the last couple of years, while its gasoline consumption has come down considerably following the implementation of the first phase of cutting energy subsidies.
The country plans to increase gasoline and gasoil production capacity by 64 and 12 million liters per day respectively, by completion of 9 ongoing development plans at its oil refineries.
These projects include gasoline units at Abadan, Tabriz, Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, Tehran (Shahid Tondgouyan), Imam Khomeini (Shazand) plus development and upgrading plans at Persian Gulf Star and Lavan oil refineries.
Following the implementation of the projects, production of kerosene and jet fuel will rise each by 7.4 million liters and liquid petroleum gas by 7.4 million liters per day.
Late in December, addressing inauguration ceremony of petrochemical projects in Southern Iran, Ahmadinejad said, “Iranian nation should march toward the summits of glory and in this direction, we should be able to administer the country without reliance on oil revenues.”

Halt in Crude Exports Rejected

Oil Ministry Spokesman Alireza Nikzad Rahbar lauded the unsparing efforts made by the ministry’s experts to foil the possible impacts of the US and EU sanctions, and rejected recent reports by the Western media about a harsh decline in Iran’s oil exports.
“Despite tougher EU and US sanctions which started almost a year ago, Iran’s crude oil exports have not come to a halt,” Nikzad Rahbar said, Fars News Agency reported.
“On the contrary, new contracts have been signed with different international companies for exporting and selling crude oil and gas condensate,” he added.
In mid-November, Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi categorically rejected reports about decline in Iran’s oil exports, and said on the contrary Iran has increased exports of its crude supplies to foreign countries.
“Iran’s oil sale decreased in the first days of sanctions but as the time goes by, the situation of our oil exports is improving and now we are trying to boost our oil exports,” Qassemi said.
He also pointed to the hiking oil prices, and said the current $100 price for oil is desirable for Iran and other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), yet “we hope that the price will increase in coming days” as the cold season nears.
Oil market experts and Iranian officials have warned that sanctions against Iran’s oil sector and Tehran’s retaliatory cut in crude exports would hike oil prices in the world market, which will, in turn, have devastating consequences for western economies.
“After the UN Security Council ratified a sanction resolution against Iran on June 9, 2010, the United States and the European Union imposed further unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, mostly targeting the country’s energy and banking sectors.
Tehran has always dismissed West’s pressures and stressed that sanctions and embargos merely consolidate Iranians’ national resolve to continue the path of progress.
Analysts believe that the EU started implementation of the sanctions against Iran at a time when it is experiencing its worst economic conditions.

Major Projects to Be Inaugurated In 10-Day Dawn

Translated by Farzam Vanaki

Some 1,195 transportation projects as well as 16 housing plans with 182,870 billion rials in credit will be inaugurated during the 10-Day Dawn celebrations (January 31-February 10), said roads and urban development minister.
Ali Nikzad said on Wednesday that 53,640 billion rials have been invested in launching the projects pertaining to the fields of marine, road, railroad and air transportation, IRNA reported.
He said the housing projects will be inaugurated with 1,180 billion rials in credit, adding, they include 9 hospitals, two 762-bed treatment centers, 3 office projects and one stadium.
Nikzad added that 315,211 Mehr housing units with 129,230 in credit will also be inaugurated of which 151,103 projects pertain to the cities with a population of more than 25,000, 40,981 projects belong to new cities, 76,419 projects to cities with less than 25,000 population and 46,708 projects to worn-out textures.
He also said in the transportation sector, 1,000 projects pertain to road sector and 35 projects belong to railroad sector.
Nikzad said 104 projects with 9,100 billion rials in credit are related to marine sector, saying 44 projects are linked with air transportation.
The minister recalled that the fourth phase of the freeway linking Tehran to the north of the country with the length of 20 kilometers will also be inaugurated.

Power Plant Gas Input Increases 120%

Domestic Economy Desk

Average gas delivery to power plants has exceeded 75 million cubic meters per day (cmpd) during Jan 20-Feb 19, indicating a 120-percent growth compared to the figure for the same period of last year, said the managing director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).
Javad Oji said gas delivery to power plants during the past two weeks has been favorable, adding some days up to 90 million cmpd of gas have been sent to the power plants, IRNA reported.
Thanks to the adopted measures, no limit exists with regard to gas supply in industrial units, he added.
“Given the current volume of gas production, NIGC can increase its gas storage for the next year significantly.”
He also said that on certain occasions during the current year (started March 20), Iran exported 31.5 million cmpd of gas to turkey. “This was done due to the long and severe cold weather of the country.”
Oji recalled that the favorable trend of gas export to Turkey was followed by commendation of Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.
Iran sits on 16 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves. The country ranks second in the world in terms of gas reserves.
Earlier, the National Iranian Oil Company announced that private sector will construct and launch Sardar-e Jangal Gas Refinery in the near future.
Iran plans to boost its gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investments, especially in its South Pars gas field.

Italy to Be Iran’s Main EU Trade Partner in 2013

The president of Italy-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for the expansion of economic relations between the two countries, saying that Rome will be Tehran’s main European trade partner for the year 2013.
During a meeting with a group of Iranian businessmen in Rome on Tuesday, Rosario Alessandro said Italy is prepared to increase the level of its business interactions with the Islamic Republic, Press TV reported.
Sandro Pettinato, deputy head of Italy-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also described Iran as a thriving and lucrative market for Italian industrialists.
In a meeting with Italian Ambassador to Iran Luca Giansanti on January 15, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran is a reliable trade partner for Italy and other European countries.
“Iran and Italy are two very important countries that have long-standing cultural relations and numerous commonalities,” Salehi said. Giansanti described Iran as a key country in terms of strategic, regional and energy status.
Referring to the mutual cooperation and the considerable trade volume between Tehran and Rome, the Italian ambassador expressed hope that bilateral ties would be expanded in the future.

Iran Nears Self-SufficiencyIn Jet Fuel Production

Iran is close to becoming self-sufficient in producing jet fuel with the renovation of Abadan Oil Refinery, the oldest crude oil treatment facility in the Middle East.
Next week, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to inaugurate the final phase of the development of Abadan Refinery in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, Press TV reported.
Along with the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit which will also come on stream at Shazand Refinery in central Iran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in early February, Abadan Refinery will be producing 30 million liters per day (mlpd) of gasoline conforming with Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards.
Iran is currently a leading producer of jet fuel for passenger and cargo planes. The gasoline production unit of Abadan Oil Refinery would allow the production of fuel for helicopters, crop dusters and trainers.
The alkylation unit of Abadan Refinery is forecasted to produce 2 mlpd of fuel for helicopters.
Deputy Oil Minister Alireza Zeighami said the Abadan Refinery upgrade would enhance the country’s gasoline octane to 95, raise sulfur and liquefied gas, and cut fuel oil production to 2.7 mlpd in the facility.
He put at nearly one billion dollars the total costs for design, manufacturing, installation and operation of the project and an adjacent power plant.

Developing Ties With Egypt

Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Wael al-Maaddawi and the head of Iran’s Interests Section in Cairo discussed the ways to promote cooperation in the field of air flights and establishing direct flights between the two countries.
Mojtaba Amani invited the Egyptian minister to attend the ceremonies marking victory anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on January 31-February 10, IRNA reported.
The meeting took place at a time when the two countries are trying to strengthen their ties in various fields.
Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Iran appointed its first ambassador to Egypt in almost 30 years. The two countries share membership in the OIC and the Developing 8.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi made a first visit to Iran since the Islamic Revolution for the 2012 Non-Aligned Movement summit on 30 August, where it handed over the rotating presidency to Iran.

New Sanctions Not to Influence Iranian Market

A senior Iranian trade official underlined ineffectiveness of the new US sanctions and pressures on Iran, and said the new wave of sanctions will not affect the country’s market.
In December, the US Senate approved a new round of economic sanctions against Iran. The sanctions will take effect on February 6.
“It does not seem that we will see serious changes in the market as of February 6. We think that the effects of these sanctions will not show themselves in the short run and due to the government’s attempts, we will have a calm market in the current year,” a presiding board member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce Seyed Hamid Hosseini told Fars News Agency on Wednesday.
In similar remarks earlier this week, member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Hassan Asafari underlined the ineffectiveness of the Western sanctions and pressures on Iran’s scientific growth, and stressed that Iranians will never compromise their indispensible rights.
Asafari said the intensification of the Western sanctions against Iran will not stop the Iranian nation from reaching the summits of science and technology.

Agriculture Conference

The first national conference on strategies for achieving sustainable development in agricultural sector will be held in Tehran on March 10.