TEHRAN: Deputy oil minister has reported on the talks with a private firm to export and store Iranian gas in storage tanks of Azerbaijan Republic. Hamid Reza Araghi, the Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), pointed to new approached for providing impassable areas of the country with gas saying “accordingly, for the first time in Iran’s gas industry, gas transfer to Chabahar power plant through Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has been put on the agenda.”
The official also referred to the held negotiations with a private company for exports and storage of natural gas in Azerbaijan’s underground tanks asserting “the talks are not being conducted between governments of the two sides while Iran cooperates with regional countries in area of gas trade as a macro strategy.”
“More than 97 percent of the urban population and 67% of rural population have access to natural gas,” noted the official stressing “moreover, a total of 72 power plants, 2200 CNG stations as well as numerous petrochemical industries have been provided with gas.” Araghi also touched upon implementation of new South Pars phases and the rise in the country’s gas production capacity in the current year; “gas projects have been accelerated over the past three months with completion of Phases 12, 15, 16 and 17 as well as a portion of Phase 19.”
NIGC managing director went on to underline that increased access to natural gas has reduced consumption of liquid fuel reiterating “escalated share of gas in the country’s fuel basket has had several significant advantages like increased efficiency and optimized consumption, reduction of environmental emissions as well as less need for importing liquid fuel.”
