Natural gas comprised about 86% of all the feedstock supplied to power plants nationwide in the past eight months, with diesel and mazut constituting 8% and 6% of feedstock for power generation respectively, managing director of Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) said.
Arash Kordi added that mazut and diesel consumption declinced by 30% and 50% in March-November, ILNA reported on Sunday.
Following the launch of several phases of the South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf last year and a rise in natural gas output, gas has replaced mazut and diesel as feedstock in some refineries and power plants, consequently making room for the export of surplus of these products.
In addition, the government has instructed power plants and refineries to use gas instead of more polluting feedstock due to the abundance of gas resources in Iran and the rise in SP gas extraction.
More than 47 billion cubic meters of gas were reportedly delivered to power plants last year, up from 34 bcm a year ago.
Gas supply to thermal power plants reached 160 million cubic meters a day last year during peak demand, but the Oil Ministry should raise gas supply to roughly 170 mcm/d to thermal plants to completely replace natural gas with diesel and mazut, officials at Tavanir estimated.
