TEHRAN – Head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Dispatching Department said the company is fully prepared for sustainable gas supply during the cold season, Shana reported.

“National Iranian Gas Company has made the necessary preparations in production, transmission, and distribution sectors for the winter from months ago, so this year we will not have any problems in supplying gas, especially in the domestic sector,” Mohammadreza Jolaei said.

According to the official, the amount of gas injected into the national network lines has increased by four percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20) compared to the same period last year, while the domestic and commercial gas consumption has also witnessed a 10 percent increase in the said period.

He also mentioned the power plants’ gas consumption and said: "In the same period, the amount of gas delivered to power plants has increased by seven percent and this was possible due to the increase in our production according to the plan, so that we were able to supply gas to consumers in all parts of the country on time."

Referring to the smart development of the country’s national gas network in the past five years, Jolaei stated: "With the construction and operation of new pipelines and pressure boosting facilities, the network is now capable to handle any increase in gas production in the South Pars gas field."

Last winter, Iran’s daily natural gas consumption hit a record high of nearly 600 million cubic meters (mcm) a day due to the unprecedented snowfall and cold weather that blanketed the country.

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 the neighboring countries like Iraq.

Currently, about 30,000 villages with 4.6 million households as well as 1,148 cities with over 18 million households are connected to the national gas network in Iran.

Back in January 2019, the NIGC’s managing director had announced that 93.6 percent of Iran’s population enjoys natural gas.

Gas is supplied to 97 percent of people in the urban areas and 82 percent of people in the rural regions, according to Hassan Montazer Torbati.

EF/MA