Maximum gas is being supplied to power plants across Iran and the trend is expected to continue during the summer as well, the head of the National Iranian Gas Company’s Dispatching Department said.
“Currently, 300 million cubic meters of fuel are injected to the power plants, of which about 282 mcm are natural gas and the rest is liquefied fuel, which is provided for the power stations that are not connected to the gas grid yet,” Mohammad Reza Joulaei was also reported as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana.
If nothing unexpected happens and the production of natural gas in the country continues without a problem, the maximum gas supply to power plants will continue during the hot season so that electricity generation is not disrupted, he added.
According to the official, almost all the gas produced in the country (about 700 million cubic meters per day) is being consumed domestically.
The share of domestic, commercial and non-major industries is about 200 mcm per day and major industries consume 145 mcm per day of gas. Around 70 mcm are also exported to neighboring countries.
Almost 85% of Iran’s electricity (68,000 megawatts) are produced by gas-powered power stations.
Hydroelectric plants account for 12% of Iran’s power generation capacity if all the dams are full. Nonetheless, a remarkable decline in precipitation during the current water year (started September 2021) has reduced the capacity and there will be more pressure on thermal power facilities to meet rising demand.
Supplying gas to power plants, instead of liquefied fuels such as diesel and mazut has not only curbed air pollution but also increased foreign currency revenue.
Iran has abundant natural gas deposits and it is more cost-effective to use gas for power generation instead of liquid fuels.
NIGC has managed to substantially raise gas production, especially from the giant South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf to meet the growing needs of power plants.
Iran burns record amounts of natural gas, which is way higher than the global average. While average global gas consumption has risen by 1.65% in three decades, demand for the fuel in Iran has shot up by 4.2% in the same period.
