TEHRAN - British multinational oil and gas company BP, in its latest Statistical Review of World Energy report (the 71st edition), has put Iran as the fourth biggest consumer of natural gas in the world.

Based on the data published in the mentioned report, Iran consumed 241.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2021 to stand at the fourth place after the United States, Russia, and China.

According to the BP report, Iran's total gas production in 2021 was about 257 billion cubic meters, of which 241.1 billion cubic meters were consumed inside the country, which means that 94 percent of the gas produced in the country was consumed inside.

Iran’s gas output mainly comes from the country’s giant South Pars field which it shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.

The Islamic Republic has reached complete self-sufficiency in all aspects of gas production from the South Pars field, including drilling, platform building, pipeline construction, and onshore refineries.

The capacity of Iran’s daily natural gas production exceeded 1,000 million cubic meters (mcm) in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), a report published by the Oil Ministry’s Planning Directorate showed.

According to the ministry, the country's natural gas production capacity registered the mentioned record for the first time in the previous year when gas production from the South Pars gas field increased by more than four percent compared to the preceding year (1399).

The average production of gas from the South Pars gas field has been increasing significantly in recent years and last December the figure reached a record of 705 mcm per day.

As one of the world’s biggest gas reserves, the South Pars gas field covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran’s territorial waters. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers, called North Dome, are situated in Qatar’s territorial waters.

The increase in Iran’s gas production has resulted in a significant decrease in the liquid fuel consumption by the country’s power plants, leading to less air pollution and more environmental protection.

Currently, over 95 percent of the country’s population is enjoying natural gas through the country’s huge national network. More than 34,000 villages across the country are connected to the national gas network.

EF/MA