A project to construct a pipeline to transfer natural gas to Kish Island in south Iran is being carried out by the Pars Oil and Gas Company, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company, an official at the Iranian Gas Transmission Company said.
The 120-km pipeline branches off from the IGAT7 and provides gas to the tourist island, Hamid Khedri, director of gas transmission operations in Bushehr Province, was reported as saying by the Oil Ministry news agency Shana.
Providing gas for two thermal power plants is a priority and later gas will be sold to industries, commercial centers and households. The project is expected to be completed next year.
The Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT) is a series of large diameter pipelines transferring gas from refineries from the south to different parts of the country.
IGAT7, 56 inches (1,420 mm) in diameter, interconnects east of Assalouyeh in Bushehr Province to Sarkhoon Refinery in Hormozgan Province and transfers natural gas produced in South Pars Gas Field to Hormozgan, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces.
Providing gas for two thermal power plants is a priority and later gas will be sold to industries, commercial centers and households
Kish Island's electricity network is yet not connected to the national power grid. There are two power plants in the island, with total generation capacity of 230 megawatts that meet the needs of 40,000 homes and one million tourists annually.
A part of the feedstock for the plants comprises associated petroleum gasses from Sirri Oil Field in the Persian Gulf. Diesel and mazut is also used.
The gas supply project from IGAT7 will help stable fuel supply to the power plants. Providing gas to the power stations will also cut consumption of liquid fuels by about 500,000 liters per day.
Kish is a 91.5 square kilometer picturesque resort in Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan Province, off the southern coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. Given its free trade zone status, the island is seen as a consumer's paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centers and tourist attractions.
Kish Island is the third most-visited vacation destination in Southwest Asia, after Dubai and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Tourists from many countries entering Kish Free Zone are not required to have a visa.
However, as in most parts of the world, the coronavirus has reduced Kish tourism to a trickle over the past two months.
