Projects are underway to increase Iran’s gas production by 50% until 2028, the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company said.
“With the implementation of these projects, the country's gas production capacity will increase from the current 1 billion cubic meters per day to 1.5 bcm per day in six years,” Mohsen Khojastehmehr was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news service.
During a visit to Aghar, Dalan and Dey fields, as well as Farashband Gas Refinery in Fars Province on Monday, the official said one-third of the country's gas reserves are in Fars and under the management of the Iranian Central Oil Fields Company.
“According to the planning, the company will develop 13 gas fields at $3.6 billion, which will increase gas output by 142 million cubic meters per day,” he added.
Khojastehmehr announced NIOC’s readiness to increase the daily production of 7 mcm from the Aghar and Dey fields in 2023, and said with the completion of the development of the two gas fields, a total of about 25 mcm of gas will be added to the country’s natural gas production capacity by March 2025.
Aghar is among the large onshore gas fields in Iran. It is located 110 kilometers southeast of Shiraz in Fars Province.
Gas production from Aghar began in 1999. The field has 16 wells. Natural gas and condensates are separated after production for delivery to the Farashband Gas Refinery for processing via two (90-km each) pipelines.
“At present, the Farashband Gas Refinery is operational with its maximum capacity [45 mcm per day], but according to the plans, the figure will reach 70 mcm per day with an investment of about $177 million,” Khojastehmehr said.
To help accelerate the projects, he said: “We have allocated about $300 million from the internal resources of the NIOC to produce 10 mcm next year and 10 mcm the year after”.
The NIOC chief said gas production is also set to rise in other parts of the country.
Regarding the high gas consumption in the country and the necessity of ensuring a stable gas supply, he said, “The minimum production of gas next winter should not be less than the maximum production of the current year. In this direction, special attention should be paid to things like maintaining the production and storage capacity, especially in the region of Khangiran.”
