Evaluation and Analysis of Virtual Water Trade in Iran's Oil Sector

Attention to water resources and consumption in Iran's industrial sector is important due to the existence of severe tensions in the country's water resources. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the virtual water trade in the oil industry of Iran. For this purpose, the technical-basic approach has been used to measure virtual water and the special water demand and virtual water trade of Iran's oil sector has been calculated from 1978 to 2019. The results show that due to the high volume of oil exports, Iran is a net exporter of virtual water. The amount of water consumed in the oil industry and the process of extraction and production of crude oil in the years under review averaged 594 million cubic meters per year and the amount of virtual water that left the country following the export of crude oil in these years averaged 356 million cubic meters per year. Also, the export value of virtual water in the oil sector has a value of 1838 thousand Rials per cubic meter. To manage the country's water resources and the leading crises in this sector of the industry, it is possible to greatly increase water efficiency in this sector by modifying production processes and updating equipment, facilities, and methods used to optimally consume water in this sector.
.