Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 8/ Trend M. Moezzi
Iran's national gas company warned customers to conserve energy as it works to supply the record 556 million cubic metres of natural gas currently being used per day by homes and businesses, Pana news agency reported.
With temperatures expected to drop to 12 to 15 degrees centigrade across the country, Javad Owji the National Iranian Gas Company's (NIGC) managing director said the gas service will now be cut off for 24 to 48 hours at government buildings that use too much energy. NIGC teams are visiting offices to check on heating gas use.
"The national gas company has been able to keep up with the unprecedented demand for gas without any service interruptions as 13 refineries work concurrently to produce 540 million cubic metres of gas," said Mr. Owji.
Earlier this week, gas imports from Turkmenistan plunged unexpectedly as Turkmengaz Company halved the gas it supplies Iran to some 10 million cubic metres. One reason may be increased gas exports to Russia. Another reason for the reduced natural gas exports is the harsh cold weather in Central Asia.
Iran has the world's second largest gas reserves after Russia.