Tehran, Iran, Jan. 17
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran's gas production has reached 666 million cubic meters per day.
The Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamidreza Araqi said that for the first time Iran's gas output is more than the country's consumption, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on Jan. 17.
"Iran's average gas production in the past few months stood at 637 million cubic meters per day," he said, adding that the figure was around 570 million cubic meters per day in previous Iranian calendar year (which ended on March 20, 2014)," the official said.
"The price of gas for domestic users is just 20 percent of the export price," he noted.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Jan. 3 that the country's gas output capacity will be increased by 100 million cubic meters in the current Iranian calendar year.
"Some of the projects have already come on stream, and the rest will be inaugurated as planned," he said.
Zangneh said on Nov. 21 that some 44 billion cubic meters of gas will be added to the country's total output in the next Iranian calendar year (to start March 21, 2015).
The Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamidreza Araqi said in November that Iran's gas output will be doubled in the next three years.
"The country's total gas production will reach 330 billion cubic meters in the Iranian calendar year of 1396 (to start on March 21, 2018)," he said.
Iran faced severe gas shortage in previous winter. The country was forced to cut gas supply to industrial units and petrochemical complexes in several occasions.
According to BP's latest yearly report, Iran 's dried gas output is about 160 bcm, a little more than domestic consumption level.
Iran exported 7.5 bcm of gas to Turkey and imported 4.5 bcm gas from Turkmenistan in 2012, according to BP's report.