Abdolhossein Hemmati, a member of the Energy Commission of the Parliament, stressed the need to move beyond traditional methods in fuel consumption management. He stated that by utilizing smart systems and online monitoring, diesel consumption in various sectors such as transportation, agriculture, industries, mines, and power plants can be monitored in real-time, thereby minimizing the potential for fuel smuggling.
The Role of Knowledge-Based Companies in Fuel Smuggling Management
Hemmati further referred to the role of knowledge-based companies in managing fuel smuggling, saying: "Managing fuel smuggling in the country requires a reevaluation of priorities and leveraging domestic technological capacities." He pointed out the issues related to gasoline and mentioned that the focus of executive agencies has primarily been on gasoline. In this context, he referred to the long queues for gasoline in provinces such as Sistan and Baluchestan and Kerman, stating that these problems have arisen due to mismanagement.
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Fuel Smuggling Statistics and Proposed Solutions
Hemmati, referring to the statistics of fuel smuggling in the country, stated that 80 to 90 percent of fuel smuggling is related to diesel, with only 10 to 20 percent pertaining to gasoline. He added that a significant portion of diesel consumption is concentrated in four main areas: transportation, agriculture, industries, and power plants, which can be easily controlled using modern technologies. Hemmati also mentioned the repeated proposals from domestic knowledge-based companies that have proven their technical capabilities to solve this crisis.
He emphasized: "By installing smart devices on heavy machinery, agricultural equipment (tractors), and power plant systems, we can monitor consumption levels, kilometers traveled, work efficiency, and geographical location in real-time. When the system is transparent and any deviation from standard consumption is reported immediately, fuel smuggling will reach its lowest levels."
Hemmati also noted that this technology is currently being implemented in an isolated manner by some mines and private sectors, and its success has been proven. Therefore, the government should seriously support knowledge-based companies to implement this model nationwide and in a unified manner.
He stressed that the implementation of this plan, with serious executive will, will be fully operational in less than a year. Hemmati pointed out that the price of fuel globally is on average about 60 to 70 cents higher, while domestically we face much lower prices, which creates an incentive for smuggling. If we can manage just 20 million liters of the daily consumption imbalance through smart control and bring it closer to global market prices, it would yield several billion dollars in net profit for the country annually.
Hemmati concluded by emphasizing the need to move towards transparency and smart governance, stating: "Executive officials must move beyond traditional and directive approaches and trust knowledge-based companies so that with precise and scientific monitoring, the choke points of fuel smuggling can be permanently closed." He added that the benefit of this action for the country goes beyond numbers, providing the possibility of exporting excess consumption and ensuring energy security at a sustainable level.
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