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Thomson FinancialSacked Iran minister warns of energy 'catastrophe'
08.19.07, 3:23 PM ET
TEHRAN (Thomson Financial) - Iran's sacked oil minister has issued a parting warning to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, predicting a looming 'catastrophe' in the Iranian energy sector because of high consumption, media reported Sunday.
'If we do not find a solution to the energy problem in the next 15 years, the country will face a catastrophe,' Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh was quoted as saying at his farewell ceremony late on Saturday by the ISNA student news agency.
'I am ready to prove that if the fuel situation continues along current trends we will face an energy crisis in the future,' he said. 'The current pattern of consumption is a disaster for the country.' The comments by Vaziri Hamaneh, who also revealed for the first time that he was sacked in a cabinet reshuffle last week, are a stark warning about the energy problems of a country rich in natural resources.
Iran is OPEC's number two crude oil producer and is also pinning major hopes on its gas reserves, estimated to be the second largest proven reserves in the world after Russia. But frenzied consumption of petrol forces it to import millions of litres per day of refined oil to make up for a domestic shortfall. Wasteful heating methods also create gas shortages in winter.
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Read more: http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/08/19/afx4033657.html