Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Due to gas shortage, some 28 billion litres of liquid fuels, worth 30 $billion have been consumed in Iran's power plants during the last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).
Iranian deputy minister of oil for planning and supervision on hydrocarbon reserves, Mansour Moazzami said that last year was the worst year for Iran in terms of energy supply, the country's IRNA news agency reported on April 17.
Iranian energy minister, Hamid Chitchian said on April 10 that liquid fuels including diesel, shared some 44 percent of consumption in the country's power plants during the last Iranian calendar year.
Mostafa Kashkouli, the head of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) announced in March that during the last Iranian calendar year, about 92 billion liters of gasoline, oil-gas, kerosene and fuel oil had been consumed in Iran, of which 27 billion liters were burnt in the power plants, 4.3 billion liters more than the previous year.
Power plants consumed 60 percent more diesel, compared to the preceding year, he added.
Moazzami went on to say that the country's gas output will be increased by 80 to 100 million cubic meters per day, by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2015).
Current year will be an unprecedented year for Iran's energy output, he forecasted.
Moazzami also expressed hope that the country will enter new gas markets by the next Iranian calendar year in addition to maintaining the current figure of gas exports.
Iran sits on the world's largest natural gas reserves. The country's estimated reserves are around 33.6 trillion cubic meters.
However, the development rate of the country's gas projects is slow, and gas accounts for some 70 percent of Iran's energy consumptions. The country's current level of gas production hardly meets its domestic demands.
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.