Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar.6
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iranian gas refineries supplied 151.777 billion cubic meters of gas to the national network in the first 11 months of the current Iranian fiscal year, which began on March 21, 2014.
Abdolhossein Samari, an official with the National Iranian Gas Company, said the figure rose 16.345 bcm compared to the same period in the past year, Iran's Shana news agency reported on March 6.
During the 11-month period, 23.52 million cubic meters of gas condensate was also produced, compared to 22.415 mcm last year, he said.
Moreover, 917,868 metric tons of sulfur, 1.867 million metric tons of LPG, and 1.352 million metric tons of ethane were produced, respectively, he noted.
Hadi Hashemzadeh, an official with the National Iranian Gas Company said Dec. 16 that the country's gas refining capacity is projected to double over the course of three years.
In November, the Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamidreza Araqi said that the country's total gas production would reach 330 billion cubic meters in the Iranian calendar year of 1396 (to start on March 21, 2018).
Deputy Oil Minister Emad Hosseini said on Nov. 22 that five phases of giant South Pars gas field would start production by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2015).
Hosseini said that phases 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18 would most likely come on stream by the end of January 2015.
"Once the phases come on stream, Iran's gas output will be increased by 120 million cubic meters per day," he said.
Iran holds 18 percent of the world's proven natural gas reserves, equal to 33.6 trillion cubic meters. The country produced 485 million cubic meters of natural gas in 2013. Iran's gas output has increased by 75 million cubic meters during the current year and stood at 560 million cubic meters.
Edited by CN