Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.19
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran hopes to boost gas exports significantly since the Iranian year 1394, which starts in March 2015, IRNA quoted Iranian deputy oil minister Mansour Moazzami as saying on January 19.
Once the projects which are underway come on stream, the country's gas production will be increased, so that gas exports are hoped to see a big jump, he added.
Five phases of the South Pars gas field, for instance, will come on stream in the next Iranian year, he noted.
In October 2013, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Iran will become self-sufficient from gas imports after the Iranian 1394 solar year which will start on March 20, 2015.
According to Shana News Agency, Zanganeh said that gas shares 70 per cent of Iran's energy consumption basket.
Iran has 33.6 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration report, Iran's natural dried gas output was about 153 billion cubic meters (bcm) which is as much as the domestic consumption figures.
According to this report released in March 2013, overall, Iran's natural gas consumption is expected to grow around seven per cent annually for the next decade.
Natural gas accounted for about 59 per cent of Iran's total domestic energy consumption in 2010 with oil consumption at 39 per cent of total energy use, according to EIA.
Iran's gas import from Turkmenistan has decreased from above 10 bcm in 2010 to 4.5 bcm last year, while Iran has obligation to export annually 10 bmc of gas to Turkey.
Iran eyes boosting gas production by commencing 12 new phases of the joint South Pars gas field, but Zanganeh said there are only two, Phases 15 and16, until March 2015. Iran needs a $25 billion investment to commence remaining phases of South Pars (phases 11 to 24) to boost gas output by 300 mcbpd in 2.5 years.