TEHRAN – Average daily gasoline consumption in Iran increased 13 percent in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22) compared to the figure for the previous year’s same period.

Average daily gasoline consumption in the country stood at 85 million liters in the first half of the current fiscal year, while the figure was reported to be 74.5 million liters in the previous year’s H1, IRNA reported.

As reported, the increase in the country’s daily gasoline consumption is registered despite the transportation restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gasoline consumption stood at 79.6 million liters per day in the first month of the current year (March 21-April 20) which coincides with the New Year holidays.

Gasoline consumption in Iran has fluctuated since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.

In the early days of the pandemic, concerns over the virus minimized the travels across the country and led to a record decrease in consumption in the last Iranian calendar year’s first month (March 20-April 20, 2020).

On some days in April 2020, gasoline consumption even fell to 40 million liters and the average daily consumption did not exceed 50 million liters that month.

In general, gasoline consumption in the country declined 20 percent in the past Iranian calendar year, as compared to its preceding year due to rationing this fuel and also the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran, which was an importer of gasoline for decades, exported over $1.4 billion worth of the said fuel in the first seven months of the past Iranian calendar year (March 20-October 21, 2020).

The significant increase in the country’s gasoline production and exports comes despite the fact that nearly two years ago Iran was shipping in over 4.5 million liters per day of the strategic product.

The Islamic Republic became a net gasoline exporter in February 2019, after the inauguration of the third phase of the Persian Gulf Star Refinery (PGS) project which added 120,000 barrels to the country’s daily gasoline production.

The increase in the exports of the mentioned commodity is a result of the increase in the country’s refining capacity.

EF/MA