Shahram Ahmadi discussed key points from the 13th National Air Pollution Reduction Working Group meeting, held Wednesday and chaired by Jafar Qaem-Panah, the vice president for executive affairs. He said the session opened with a report from the Department of Environment on Tehran’s air quality during the first week of Azar. The National Standards Organization then presented a report on fuel quality in the capital, followed by a review of the status of vehicle inspections.

Referring to the Department of Environment’s report, Ahmadi said it had claimed the Rey and Parand plants used liquid fuel during the first week of December. “According to the Oil Ministry’s representative, Rey has used only natural gas since the beginning of Aban (late October), and no liquid fuel has been burned there,” he said.

He added that 80 percent of Parand’s fuel consumption during the same period came from natural gas, a figure confirmed by the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company representative.

420m Liters of Low-Sulfur Fuel Oil Delivered to Power Sector

Ahmadi stressed that no fuel oil is delivered to power plants in Tehran and that all liquid fuel supplied is diesel. He said 85 percent of the diesel delivered to the province’s power plants meets Euro standards, an 8 percent increase from last year.

He noted that the meeting also emphasized controlling other sources of pollution, including ensuring industries use appropriate fuels, preventing waste burning around Tehran, imposing restrictions on diesel fleets, and enforcing vehicle inspection requirements in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, traffic police and the municipality.

Ahmadi said that for the first time this year, 420 million liters of low-sulfur fuel oil have been supplied to the national power grid, significantly reducing pollution in the metropolitan areas of Arak and Isfahan.

Fuel Quality Confirmed; Joint Sampling Protocol Planned

Regarding fuel quality for the transportation fleet, Ahmadi said tests show sulfur and aromatic levels in gasoline, as well as diesel parameters, fully comply with Euro standards. He added that a report from the National Standards Organization shows only minimal differences between fuel quality parameters and the Oil Ministry’s routine analysis results.

He said the meeting concluded with an agreement for the Oil Ministry, the Department of Environment and the National Standards Organization to develop a joint protocol for sampling and testing procedures.