Iran plans to export surplus gasoline produced at its refineries and petrochemical plants by March 2011, more than two years ahead of schedule.

Oil Minister, Masoud Mirkazemi, says production at Iran’s oil refineries is expected to increase by about 190,000 barrels a day (b/d) by March, adding to the 90,000 b/d already produced at petrochemicals plants, state-run Shana news reports.

Since late July, petrochemical plants have been on a crash gasoline production programme in an attempt to reduce Iran’s vulnerability to international sanctions. Tightened economic sanctions imposed in June mean Iran has lost several key gasoline suppliers (MEED 15:4:10).

US consultants Chemical Market Associates says the technique is based on Iran halting aromatics production to use its aromatics units to produce a high-octane mixed aromatics stream that can be blended into the petrol pool.

Playing down the impact of sanctions, the Oil Minister said in July that the country would be a gasoline exporter within four years, with production reaching more than 1 million b/d by 2014. Current domestic demand stands at only 400,000 b/d.

The strategy is already moving faster than expected. According to the Oil Ministry, gasoline imports fell from 44,000 b/d in June to only 5,000 b/d in September. Iran has not signed any gasoline import contracts since the end of August. Mirkazemi reported Iran’s first shipment of gasoline at the end of September, although the volumes and destination were not clear.

At 90,000 b/d, the petrochemical plants now produce just over 20 per cent of Iran’s total production, which has now reached 420,000 b/d – more than enough to supply current domestic demand.

The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) says Iran may not be able to maintain the strategy of converting petrochemical plants to increase its production of gasoline.

“Even assuming that self-sufficiency has been fully achieved, increasing gasoline output at the expense of other petrochemicals is arguably unsustainable,” the IEA said in its monthly market report.