Iran’s oil and gas refining capacity up by over 7% in nearly a year

Iran has significantly increased its oil refining capacity in the past year despite the continued pressure of US sanctions on its energy sector.

A senior official from the Iranian Oil Ministry’s fuel department (NIORDC) said on Monday that refining capacity in the country had increased by 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) since August last year to reach 2.4 million bpd.

Mohammad Ali Dadvar said that the largest increase in refining capacity had been achieved in Abadan Refinery, Iran’s largest oil refinery and the country’s second-largest by output, located in southwestern Khuzestan province, adding that the facility is currently processing 70,000 bpd more crude oil compared to last summer.

Dadvar, who is a deputy CEO at the NIORDC, said that the Persian Gulf Star Refinery, located on the Persian Gulf coast in southern Iran, had also raised its refining capacity by 35,000 bpd over the same period, adding that the same increase had been achieved in Isfahan Refinery in central Iran.

He said that the major increase in refining capacity had allowed Iran to reduce the amount of oil in its storage facilities, an issue which has been worrying government authorities since the start of US sanctions in 2018.

The official said that higher output in the three major Iranian refineries has also helped ease concerns about rising demand for fuels in the country.

The fuel sector has been a main target of foreign sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. The country has steadily increased its refining capacity in recent years to prevent the sanctions from affecting its transportation and electricity generation sectors.

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