The number of Iranian households, supplied with natural gas, will reach 23 million by mid-2021 that marks the end of the second term of the Hassan Rouhani government, the National Iranian Gas Company’s director for gas supply said.
“By the end of the current administration, more than 17.7 million households in cities and 5.3 million ones in rural areas will be connected to the national gas network,” Saeed Momeni was also quoted as saying by IRNA on Tuesday.
According to Momeni, about 14.06 million families in Iranian cities, or 95% of urban population, were provided with natural gas in 2013, when the 11th administration started.
The official noted that the number of households in urban areas crossed 17.35 million about two months ago. He added that by mid-2013, about 2.3 million families in villages were supplied with gas, which equal 55% of all Iranians living in rural areas.
“Currently, over 3.88 million rural households are gas subscribers of NIGC,” he said.
Momeni stressed that supplying gas to the country’s cities and villages would help create direct and indirect jobs, apart from playing a significant role in fulfilling the government’s commitments in different fields.
“Gas network can pave the way for businesses like animal husbandry, greenhouses, bakeries and service centers, among others, and hence, improve welfare in those regions,” he said.
"For instance, gas supply to Khorasan Razavi Province, which has been one of the recent major gas delivery projects, has provided the capacity to launch more kilns or subscribers in the northern Mazandaran Province can use gas to run greenhouses and develop agriculture."
Momeni announced that a total of 191 billion cubic meters of gas were burnt in the past fiscal year that ended on March 20, 2017, stressing that the rise in gas consumption means less burning of liquefied fuels, such as diesel and mazut, which helps earn more foreign currency revenues and conserve the environment.
