Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 8
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
Iran's gas production surpassed 641 million cubic meters in the past few days, Masoud Jabarirad, an official with the National Iranian Gas Company said, Iran's Shana News Agency reported on Feb. 8.
"After refining, some 520 million cubic meters of the mentioned amount is being pumped to the country's gas network," he said.
He went on to note the country's average gas consumption rate was around 570 million cubic meters per day in the previous days.
The managing director of South Pars Gas Complex, Masoud Hasani, said on February 7 that some 202 million cubic meters of gas per day is being pumped to Iran's National gas network, Iran's Fars News Agency reported.
"South Pars is one of the most important areas in the country's oil and gas sector," Hasani said.
"The field's total production currently stands at over 280 million cubic meters out of which 202 million cubic meters is being pumped to the national gas network," he explained.
He went on to note that there is no shortage in feeding gas to South Pars gas complexes' petrochemical units.
Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported on February 5 that gas supply to around 700 households in Iranian capital, Tehran, has been cut due to the sharp rise in consumption.
Districts 1, 3, 5, 12, and 18 of Tehran have been facing gas shortage in the past few days.
The gas pipelines in the north of Tehran were damaged two days ago.
Gas consumption in Tehran has faced an unprecedented rise in the past few days. The National Iranian Gas Company has urged the citizens to economize their consumption.
The spokesman of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Majid Boujarzadeh, said on February 4 that the average of Iran's domestic gas consumption was around 570 million cubic meters in the past few days, which is a new high record, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on February 4.
"Household's consumption accounted for over 518 million cubic meters of the mentioned amount," he said.
He went on to note that Tehran province's average gas consumption was around 219 million cubic meters in the past few days.
The NIGC has cut gas supply to some petrochemical complexes, while limiting supply to the rest. The company has asked the petrochemical complexes to limit their production to the lowest rate or completely halt production due to the gas shortage.
Iran has limited gas supply to power plants and industrial units.
Head of Iran's Oil Industry Research Center Hamidreza Katouzian warned on December 17 that if the current trend continues, Iran's domestic gas consumption will reach 2.5 billion cubic meters per day by 2025, Iran's SHANA News Agency reported.
"Currently Iran's domestic consumption equals to the total consumption of industries in Europe," he explained.
He went on to note that the government and the oil ministry should pay more attention to this issue and try harder to optimize the country's gas consumption.
The Mehr News Agency previously reported that based on the data collected by Iran's Oil Ministry, the country needs over 700 million cubic meters of gas per day in the coming winter.
According to BP's latest yearly report, Iran's dried gas output is about 160 billion cubic meters, a little more than domestic consumption level.
Iran exported 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and imported 4.5 billion cubic meters gas from Turkmenistan in 2012, according to BP's report.