Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.27
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Petrochemical companies in Iran do not pay the real price for purchasing natural gas as their input feedstock, the Mehr News Agency quoted MP Moayed Sadr Hosseini as saying on Jan. 27.
He criticized the petrochemical companies' violation, saying that the input gas price is 65 percent of the export gas price. So, the petrochemical companies should pay 29 cents for input gas, but gas is supplied to them at a discounted price of 15 cents, he explained.
The Oil Ministry, the State Audit Organization, and the Tribunal Court should investigate violations of the petrochemical companies, he said.
The oil minister has been summoned to the parliament's energy committee to clarify the situation, he added.
The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) has suspended gas supply to some petrochemical complexes, and reduced supply to some others, Chairman of the Association of Iranian Petrochemical Producers, Ahmad Mahdavi said on Dec. 21, the Mehr News Agency reported.
"NIGC's total gas supply to petrochemical complexes has been halved," according to Mahdavi.
He went on to note that normally petrochemical complexes consume around 35-40 million cubic meters of gas per day, but the gas shortage in recent months has forced NIGC to limit gas supply to petrochemical units.
"We are corresponding with the oil minister in regards to this issue," Mahdavi added.
He further referred to continued delays in developing of the South Pars gas field as the main reason behind Iran's gas shortage this winter.
The NIGC blames technical problems for the gas shortage.
The company has suspended gas supply to some industrial units due to the gas shortage.