The number of household gas subscribers in Tehran Province increased by more than 270,000 in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended March 21), managing director of the Tehran Province Gas Company (TPGC) said, Shana news agency reported Saturday.
Yaghoub-Ali Hossein-Nia said the figure was calculated after deducting gas meters of domestic units in Tehran from those of the neighboring Alborz Province.
Power plants in the two provinces didn't face any outages over the past year due to increased output of the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf and steady supply of feedstock for plants, he said.
Hoping for steady gas supply in the present year, Hossein-Nia said improved measures are needed for judicious gas consumption despite the overall rise in natural gas production. "Industrial units that burn liquid fuels as feedstock will join the national gas network this year."
However, despite the increase in both gas supply and demand, shortage of supply to households, power plants and industrial units in the cold season remains a concern, especially in the cold seasons.
According to published reports, petrochemical output fell by 1.5 million tons over the past three years due to shortage of gas as feedstock in the winter.
Moreover, the upward trend in consumption in Iran in recent years has compelled the government to import gas in times of peak demand, despite holding the second biggest gas reservoirs in the world. Iran holds an estimated 17 percent of the world's proven natural gas reserves, with South Pars having roughly 40 percent of the total reserves.
Deliveries to Power Plants
The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said it delivered more than 50.2 billion cubic meters of gas in the past year to power plants across the country, a nearly 15-bcm year-on-year increase.
NIGC supply director, Naser Ebrahimi, said by increasing gas delivery to power plants by almost 30 percent, nearly the same volume of feedstock was saved from burning, which helped reduce pollution and costs.
In related news, Iran is trying to emerge as a key gas exporter in the region by 2017, Mohammad-Ali Emam, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Transmission Company (NIGTC) said Saturday.
He said gas distribution will reach one bcm by the end of 2017, in line with the goals set in Iran's 2025 Vision Plan.
The plan also calls for increasing the number of gas compressor facilities to 136 within 10 years. The Vision aims to promote the country's overall position at the national, regional and international levels and reach a developed status by 2025.
