TEHRAN – Iran’s natural gas exports in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) increased by 16 percent compared to the previous year, according to the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).

According to Majid Chegeni, the country’s annual liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports also registered a 22 percent increase this year, IRNA reported.

“Since the beginning of the 13th government tenure, more than 5,297 villages with 307,000 households and 41 cities with 94,000 households have been connected to the national gas network,” he said.

He further noted that currently more than 98.6 percent of the country’s urban population and 86.3 percent of the rural population enjoy natural gas through the national network.

According to Chegeni, since the beginning of the 13th government’s administration (August 2021), more than 680 trillion rials (about $1.4 billion) has been invested in different areas and sectors of the gas industry (rural and urban gas supply projects, gas transmission lines and pressure boosting stations, refineries and research affairs).

The official further mentioned some of NIGC’s priority projects, saying: “Strengthening the gas network in the northeast of the country is one of the most important projects of the National Iranian Gas Company.”

He pointed to the smartening of the gas distribution network as another priority project of the National Iranian Gas Company and added: “The implementation of this project is one of the legal duties and responsibilities of the NIGC.”

“Last year, the consultant contractor of the project was selected, and soon the project will be implemented as a pilot in six provinces, and after that, the project will be implemented throughout the country, and we hope to be able to distribute 27 million smart gas meters across the country,” he explained.

EF/MA