Over 182 billion cubic meters of natural gas were supplied through the national gas network in the 11 months ending Feb. 19, the managing director of state-owned National Iranian Gas Transmission Company said.
"The country's 36,000-kilometer national gas grid has been extended by 2,000 kilometers since March 2017," Saeed Tavakkoli was also quoted as saying by Shana on Friday.
According to the official, a major part of the expansion operation was related to the completion of the sixth Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT-6)–a major component of the national gas grid.
IGAT-6 will have the capacity to transfer 110 million cubic meters per day from the South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf to southern and western regions, namely Hamedan and Kermanshah provinces.
“By 2025, the length of Iran’s gas pipelines should increase by 9,000 km and the annual gas transfer capacity is planned to reach 400 billion cubic meters from around 200 billion cubic meters at present,” he added.
Tavakkoli stressed that Iran's gas network has the capacity to transport 800 million cubic meters per day of gas, adding that the current infrastructure allows for the supply of up to 40 mcm/d of gas to Turkey and 25 mcm/d to Iraq, which are the only importers of Iran's natural gas.
"A record amount of 757 mcm of gas were transferred domestically on Feb. 4," he said.
The official added that NIGTC has saved about 1.3 trillion rials (about $31 million) in costs by implementing a new pipeline repair and maintenance method that does not require removing natural gas from the pipeline.
“The maximum volume of gas leakage in Iranian pipelines is estimated at 13 mcm/d, or less than 2%,” he said, adding that it varies from 0.2% to 15% in other countries.
--- Eco-Friendly Policies
Pointing to the company's environmentally-friendly policies, Tavakkoli said, "Gas delivery to power plants has increased by 11.6% in 2017 compared with last year's corresponding period."
Highlighting the importance of replacing gas with eco-unfriendly fuels like mazut, he said, "The policy is of great importance as not only can it curb air pollution, but it will also help increase the export of liquid fuels."
The government has instructed power plants and refineries to use gas instead of polluting feedstock such as mazut due to the abundance of gas reserves and the rise in South Pars Gas Field's output, the world's largest gas field shared between Iran and Qatar.
The latest published data show that Iran is now drawing more than 550 mcm/d of gas from South Pars. The volume is expected to reach 600 mcm/d by March 2018, as new phases are gradually going on stream.
"The average amount of daily consumption of natural gas in different industries, including cement, steel and petrochemical, stands at 20, 22 and 45 mcm respectively," he said.
According to the official, between 65 and 80 compressor stations are up and running nationwide and the national grid is equipped with more than 290 turbo compressors.
Tavakkoli noted that the country aims to build 51 new gas compression stations in eight years, taking the total number to 130.
Iran (34 trillion cubic meters) and Russia (32.6 tcm) hold the largest proven gas reserves, according to BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The US Energy Information Association places Russia ahead of Iran with estimated reserves of 49 tcm.
