The first phase of gas feedstock delivery in the form of compressed natural gas to a power plant in the city of Chabahar in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province will be launched in May, the National Iranian Gas Company's director for gas supply said.
“Based on NIGC’s agreement with the project’s contractor, the first phase of the feedstock supply plan is aimed at delivering 1 million cubic meters of gas per day to Chabahar Power Plant, while the volume will reach 2 mcm/d in the second phase,” Saeed Momeni was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Sunday.
Momeni had earlier said the gas-fired Chabahar power plant is the first power station in Iran to receive CNG for electricity production.
Made by compressing natural gas, CNG is primarily composed of methane. Unlike natural gas, which is typically transported through pipelines, CNG is carried via ships or on land using special trucks.
The power plant currently receives part of its feedstock from a 14-inch pipeline stretching over 20 kilometers from the port of Chabahar off the Sea of Oman.
"Using CNG in power stations stabilizes the supply of feedstock to power plants and helps rein back considerable costs for pipeline design and construction," Momeni said.
"In this new method of feedstock supply, it is imperative to build CNG storage tanks at or near the power plant."
Using CNG for electricity generation is in line with plans to replace polluting feedstock, such as mazut and diesel, with cleaner and more eco-friendly fuels at power stations and refineries.
Around 80% of thermal power plants in Iran reportedly burn natural gas for electricity generation.
According to Momeni, in addition to meeting the power plant’s feedstock demand, the main goal of supplying gas to the southern cities of the province is to pave the way for gas export to Oman. The official stressed that the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, as the contractor of laying gas pipeline, will complete Iranshahr-Chabahar pipeline according to plans.
Momeni noted that the clean fuel will continue to be supplied in the form of CNG to Zabol, another city of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, until the pipeline is fully constructed.
