TEHRAN – A recent report by the Energy Institute (EI) shows that Iran exported 18.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in 2022, registering a nine percent growth year on year, IRNA reported.

As reported, in its 72nd edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy, the UK-based institute noted that Iranian gas export accounted for 2.5 percent of the world's total natural gas trade through the pipeline last year.

The Islamic Republic exported 17.3 bcm of natural gas in 2021, according to the entity.

The total global trade of natural gas through pipelines in 2022 was 718 bcm, which indicates a growth of two percent compared to the previous year. In 2021, about 704 bcm of natural gas was exported through pipelines across the globe.

The increase in Iranian gas export during 2022 was more than four times the average growth of the global trade of the product, said the report.

Of Iran's total export of 18.9 bcm in the previous year, 9.4 bcm were exported to Iraq, 9.1 bcm to Turkey, and 0.4 bcm to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The EI also noted that Iran’s natural gas production has increased 2.5 times more than the global average over the past 10 years.

According to the EI report, natural gas production in Iran has been on an upward trend since 2011, and the U.S. sanctions have not been able to stop or reverse the growth of gas production in Iran. Between 2012 and 2022, natural gas production in Iran has grown by an average of 5.2 percent annually, which is more than 2.5 times the global average growth. The world's natural gas production has grown by an average of two percent per year during this period.

Most of Iran’s natural gas comes from the country’s giant South Pars gas field which the Islamic Republic shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.

The huge offshore field covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers, called North Dome, are situated in Qatar’s territorial waters.

South Pars is estimated to contain a significant amount of natural gas, accounting for about eight percent of the world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.

EF/MA