Gas supply to the West Azarbaijan Province has been expedited and 62% of its small towns and villages are now connected to the national gas grid, managing director of the West Azarbaijan Gas Company said.
“Some 310 villages (out of 3,200) in the province had access to natural gas before 2013. The number has now increased to 994,” IRNA quoted Alireza Sheykhi as saying.
The official noted that since the start of the current fiscal in March, $10 million has been spent for connecting 200 townships in the northwestern province to the national gas network.
“Operations to connect 500 other villages are underway. When completed, over 80% of the rural areas in the West Azarbaijan Province will be linked to the grid.”
The province covers an area of about 40,000 km². It has a population of 3.3 million, a third of which lives on the outskirts of cities and in rural areas.
The climate of the province is largely influenced by the rainy winds of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. Cold northern winds affect the province during winter and cause heavy snow.
With temperatures dropping, supplying gas to households for heating is more crucial.
Iran holds the world’s second largest gas reserves after Russia and the clean fossil fuel is its single biggest source of energy. It also holds the unenviable title of the world’s fourth largest gas consumer. The country produces over 850 million cubic meters of gas per day and demand is increasing.
