TEHRAN – Gas consumption by Iranian households has dropped two billion cubic meters (bcm) in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, the head of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC)’s Dispatching Department announced.

Mohammadreza Jolaei also put the gas consumption by all sectors at 104.2 bcm in the first half.

The amount of natural gas consumption in the country in the first half of this year was 104 .2 bcm, of which the share of domestic, commercial and non-major sectors was 37.479 bcm, major industries 23.994 bcm, and power plants 45.7 bcm, the official stated.

He had previously said that the country’s natural gas consumption in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) increased eight percent compared to the preceding year (1398).

Some 233 billion cubic meters of natural gas was consumed in the country during the previous year while the figure stood at 216 billion cubic meters in 1398, according to Jolaei.

Of the total gas consumption in the previous year, 122 billion cubic meters was consumed by domestic, commercial, and non-major industries, 24 billion cubic meters was the share of major industries and 66 billion cubic meters was allocated to power plants, he stated.

The official noted that during the past year, the consumption by domestic sector and power plants hit new record highs but NIGC managed to prevent any major blackouts even during the peak consumption periods.

The country’s power plants received an average of 167 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas per day in 1398, which reached 181 million cubic meters per day in the previous year, indicating a 5.1 billion increase in the power plants’ gas consumption.

According to Julaei, some 262 billion cubic meters of gas was injected into the national gas network in the previous year, registering a six-percent rise compared to 1398.

Iran is currently producing over 810 mcm of natural gas on a daily basis which is mostly used inside the country for the domestic sector and also as fuel for the power plants and a small portion is also exported to neighboring countries like Iraq.

According to NIGC’s former Managing Director Hasan Montazer Torbati, of the total produced gas, some 25 percent goes to household consumption, 37 percent is supplied to the power plants, 30 percent is used in the industry sector, four percent used as CNG and four percent is for other consumptions.

Montazer Torbati stated that gas supply has been developed significantly in the cities and villages of the country over the past seven years due to the increase in gas production in the South Pars gas field (Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf).

MA/MA