Azerbaijan makes progress on Euro 5 standards

30 JULY 2015, 15:30 (GMT+05:00)

Azerbaijan is preparing to start production of high-quality gasoline that meets Euro 5 environmental standards in the near future.

The state energy giant SOCAR will carry out the production of Ai-92 and Ai-95 gasoline in accordance with Euro 5 standards starting in 2018, said Nail Amirov, a general engineer at the Baku Oil Refinery.

He went on to add that the decision was made to produce Ai-92 gasoline by plant operators in April 2014. Ai-95 gasoline demand was planned to meet the import.

“Today, Euro 5 is considered the ecologically cleanest gasoline. The reason for the decision is to protect the environment. The major consumers of petrol in the country are Ai-92 gasoline users,” Amirov said.

The general engineer added that all gasoline products will be produced according to Euro 5 standards by 2020.

Azerbaijan switched to the Euro 4 ecological standard in April 2014, which has led to a decrease in car imports as the standard significantly restricts the import of used cars. Last year saw a 59 percent drop in cars imported into the country.

Earlier, SOCAR said that after the modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery, gasoline production in Azerbaijan would increase from 1.3 to 2.2 million metric tons, diesel fuel from 2.3 to 2.9 million metric tons, while jet fuel would jump from 0.7 to one million metric tons produced, thus, meeting the country’s needs in the fuel at least until the end of the 2020s.

The company's goal is to process 7.5 million tons of oil at the refinery until 2030, which in turn will lead to the annual production of three million tons of diesel fuel and 2.4 million tons of gasoline.

This will ensure domestic demand in the country for high-quality fuel and ensure exports in small quantities.

Further improvement in the quality of Euro-4 and Euro-5 gasoline will become possible after the commissioning of a new oil and gas processing petrochemical complex by SOCAR, which is planned to be operational in late 2020.

Azerbaijan's energy giant SOCAR is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to industries and the public in Azerbaijan.