Azerbaijan, Baku, May 30/ Trend F.Milad/
A member of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) has voiced concern that whilst Iran is the world's second largest holder of natural gas reserves, imports of natural gas are more than exports.
"Iran ranks the second in the world with gas reserves of up to 33 trillion cubic meters, but the matter of negative gas balance trade is questionable," said Hossein Amiri Khamkhani, the Pana News Agency reported.
Official statistics show that Iran imported over 12 billion cubic meters of gas in the last calendar year which ended on March 19, from Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Imports rose by 31 per cent more than that of the previous year.
Iran has the second largest proven gas reserves in the world after Russia. Iraq has said it needs 10 to 15 million cubic meters of Iranian gas each day.
Iran's natural gas production capacity stands at around 554 million cubic meters per day, the National Iranian Gas Company's spokesman said on February 5.
Majid Boujarzadeh told the Pana News Agency that taking the imported gas from Turkmenistan into account, some 600 million cubic meters of natural gas is supplied across the country each day.
Iran exported over 7.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas last year which ended on March 19, up 10.5 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Iran sits on the world's second largest natural gas reserves after Russia.