TEHRAN – Iran’s gas exports reached near 4 billion cubic meters in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), registering a 3.4 percent rise compared to the same period in the preceding year, Shana quoted a gas official as saying on Tuesday.

Mehdi Jamshidi Dana, the dispatching director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), told Shana that the country has exported 3.920 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the said time span.

The director noted that the half-yearly imports of natural gas to the country have also witnessed a 1.25 percent decrease year-on-year.

According to Jamshidi, during the mentioned period, more than two billion cubic meters of sweet gas has been injected into oil reservoirs from which one billion cubic meters went to Shurijeh and Sarajeh storages.

“The figure indicates a 17 percent increase over the same time last year,” he said.

Earlier in August, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that Iran plans to increase gas exports to 200 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d), emphasizing that exports via pipelines to neighboring countries and the completion of LNG projects are prioritized.

According to him, the South Pars field’s daily gas production stood at 241 mcm in 2012, at 262 mcm in 2013, and at 356 mcm in 2015.

EF/MA