Pipe laying work to connect South Pars Gasfield onshore refineries in Asalouyeh to the ninth Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT-9) is almost complete.
According to Shana, the Oil Ministry news portal, the 56-inch-diameter IGAT-9 with a length of 1,863 km length starts from Asalouyeh, crosses Ahvaz, Dehgolan and stretches to Bazargan district in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan through 17 compressor stations.
IGAT is a series of nine large diameter pipelines built to supply gas from refineries in the south (Khuzestan and Bushehr provinces) across the country.
Work started in 2015 on the $3 billion project that is expected to be launched in May. The pipeline will carry 100 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to the northwestern regions bordering Turkey.
According to Ahmad Rayat, the National Iranian Gas Company deputy for engineering and development affairs, 600 mcm of gas is injected into IGAT every day, of which 50 mcm is exported to Iraq and Turkey. The bulk is used in households and industrial and power plants inside the country.
"Close to 36,000 kilometers of high-pressure gas pipes are now operating," he said, adding that the transmission and distribution pipelines stretch over 350,000 km.
There are 45,100 small towns and villages in the country of which 27,200 are connected to the grid. The number is expected to reach 30,000 by April.
Regarding gas consumption in urban areas, he said 23 million households in 1,135 cities are linked to the national network.
According to a reports published by BP Statistical Review of World Energy, Iran's natural gas consumption in 2017 was 214 billion cubic meters.
BP says Iran accounts for almost 40% of gas consumption in the Middle East. China, the world’s second-largest economy and the most populous nation, consumed 191 billion cubic meters in that year.
IGAT-1, 42 inches in diameter, was constructed between Bid Boland Refinery in Khuzestan Province and the port of Astara in the northern Gilan Province.
IGAT-2 connects Fajr Refinery in Bushehr Province and Qazvin Province in the north.
IGAT-3 extends from Asalouyeh to Markazi Province and ultimately reaches Gilan Province.
Stretching for 1,145 kilometers, IGAT-4 with a capacity of 110 mcm/d, transfers gas produced in South Pars phases 1 to 5 in Assalouyeh to Fars and Isfahan provinces.
IGAT-5 transfers sour gas produced in South Pars phases 6, 7 and 8 to Khuzestan Province for injection into oil wells to boost extraction.
IGAT-6 transfers gas from South Pars to southern and western regions namely Hamedan and Kermanshah Provinces.
IGAT-7 stretches 900 km between Asalouyeh and Iranshahr in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
The 56-inch-diameter IGAT-8, stretching over 1,000 km, transfers 110 mcm of gas from South Pars to the central parts of the country on a daily basis.
