Mohammad-Sadeq Azimifar said Saturday during Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad’s visit to the Tehran Refinery that two sets of measures have been designed under the 14th administration to manage shortages and reduce the gap between production and consumption of liquid fuels, with a focus on existing refineries. 

"Fortunately, in the second half of 1403, productivity improvements at existing refineries added an average of 8 million liters per day to the country’s gasoline production," he said. 

Azimifar noted that the company’s priorities for the new year include increasing production to address shortages, improving efficiency, and implementing quality-enhancement projects at existing refineries. 

"For example, the gasoline quality improvement project, which boosts output by 20% and upgrades the standard to Euro 5, will become operational this year at the Tehran refinery," he said. "Similarly, the gas oil quality improvement project at the Shiraz refinery will soon launch, raising its standard to Euro 5." 

He added that a hydrogen treatment project for kerosene will also begin this year at the Isfahan refinery. 

Beyond existing projects, the company is focusing on launching new refineries, Azimifar said, predicting at least one new refining project would be added to the country’s 10 existing refineries this year—or possibly two, if current efforts succeed. 

Refining industry growth in 1403 reached 5% year-over-year, adding roughly 100,000 barrels per day to national production, he emphasized. 

Azimifar expressed hope that the 60,000-barrel-per-day Adish South refinery—funded by private investment in the Siraf region—and the first phase of the 120,000-barrel-per-day Mehr Persian Gulf refinery in Bandar Abbas would become operational soon. 

All these measures aim to meet production targets of 129 million liters of gasoline and 130 million liters of gas oil per day, he said. 

"Over the past six months, effective steps aligned with the Seventh Development Plan have been taken by optimizing existing refineries," he noted.

"However, since Iran’s energy consumption intensity is about 2.5 times the global average—and with 53% of the transport fleet being outdated, consuming more than double the world average fuel—modernization and electrification efforts, in collaboration with relevant agencies, are essential. Addressing shortages cannot rely solely on increased production."