Iranian motorists pumped 16% more gasoline in the 10 days leading to the end of December compared to the same period last year as a senior Oil Ministry official describes the rising demand for the fuel as unprecedented during winter months.
CEO of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) Ali Akbar Nejad Ali said on Saturday that domestic demand for gasoline had reached an average of 111 million liters per day in the 10 days to December 31.
“That is unprecedented figure for the year’s cold seasons. The country’s gasoline consumption had reached such records only during high-travel days over the summer,” said Nejad Ali.
He said this winter is a first on record in which Iran’s demand for gasoline has not ebbed in comparison to the annual average.
The official said average demand for gasoline in Iran had increased by 21% year on year in March-December.
The statement comes amid unconfirmed reports suggesting that more than 10 million liters of motor fuel are being smuggled out of Iran every day mainly because there is a massive gap in prices between the country and its neighbors.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned in recent months that rising domestic demand for gasoline and diesel fuel would force the country to resume imports more than decade after it declared self-sufficiency in motor fuel production.
A senior Oil Ministry official said last week that Iran had halted taking new orders for exports of gasoline amid rising demand for the fuel inside the country.