Tehran, Iran, Oct. 3
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Managing Director of Iran's Natural Gas Storage Company Masoud Samivand said that storage capacity of Sarajeh gas storage facility, located in central Qom province, will reach 15 million cubic meters per day in the next 12 months.
"The facility's current storage capacity is around 10 million cubic meters per day," Samivand said, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on October 3.
He went on to note that the project aims to increase Iran's ability to pump more gas out of storage facilities in winter.
Samivand said on June 14 that Iran will store 2 billion cubic meters of gas in the Sarajeh gas storage facility by the end of the current Iranian calendar year [March 20, 2015].
"Currently some 7 million cubic meters of gas could be extracted from the facility," he said, Iran's Mehr news agency reported.
"Currently over 7 million cubic meters of gas per day is being pumped to the facility," he said, adding that some 13-15 million cubic meters of gas can be extracted from Sarajeh gas storage facility in winter.
"Some 10-15 million cubic meters of gas can also be extracted from Shoorijeh gas storage facility in winter," Samivand noted.
The Shoorijeh gas storage facility officially came on stream in September in Iran's northeastern province of Razavi Khorasan.
Oil Minister Bijan Namdaz Zanganeh also attended the inauguration ceremony, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on September 7.
The Shoorijeh gas storage facility has the capacity to store 4.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Iran will store the gas extracted from the joint gas fields, especially the giant South Pars field, in the facility.
Iran will inject 10 million cubic meters of gas to the facility in summer.
The country will be able to extract 20 million cubic meters of gas from Shoorijeh gas storage facility in winter.
Iran is now the Middle East's leading country in terms of gas storage capacity.
The country is also among the world's top five countries in this regard.
Based on the Fifth Five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (2011-2015), gas storage facilities are in charge of providing enough gas to meet 14 percent of the country's total consumption in the cold months.
Samivand said on Feb. 21 that based on global standards, Iran needs to store around 10 to 15 percent of its total consumption which is equal to 15 billion cubic meters.
"In case of constructing a 40-million cubic meters refinery for Shoorijeh facility and another 20-million cubic meters facility for Sarajeh facility, the country will even be able to pump 60 million cubic meters of gas to national network," Samivand said in June.
Iran plans to increase its gas storage capacity by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21.
Iranian oil minister has ordered the related bodies to do their best to achieve the goal, Iran's IRIB news agency reported on April 20.
Iran's dried gas output is about 160 bcm, a little more than domestic consumption level, according to BP's latest yearly report.
Iran exported 7.5 bcm of gas to Turkey and imported 4.5 bcm gas from Turkmenistan in 2012, according to BP's report.
Iran's Fars News Agency reported on June 28 that the country is currently constructing 9 more gas storage facilities in different provinces across the country.
The construction operation of Iran's third gas storage facility is underway in central Kashan city.
Once the facility comes on stream, the country's total storage capacity will be increased by 3 billion cubic meters, reaching 11 billion.