Tehran, Iran, Jan. 24
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran's first priority is to deliver gas to the provinces having no natural gas reserves.
Seyyed Naser Sajjadi, the managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, said that the southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province is among the top priorities, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on Jan. 24.
"Iran's gas output will be increased by 50 percent by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2016)," he said.
"Once the gas output has been increased, the country's liquid fuel consumption will fall. So we can export the surplus liquid fuel at the borders to contain fuel smuggling," the official explained.
The Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamidreza Araqi said in November 2014 that Iran 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.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangneh also said in November 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).
The minister went on to note that Iran's gas consumption in the current year is 100 million cubic meters more than the previous year.
"Iran will reduce its liquid fuel consumption in the next three years," he added.
"Currently some 600 million cubic meters of gas per day is being delivered to the National Iranian Gas Company," Zanganeh said.
According to BP's latest yearly report, Iran's dried gas output is about 160 bcm, a little more than a 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.