Iran's Gas Exports Rise 64%

Iran’s gas exports increased by 64% to 5bn m³/yr (34.8mn m³/d) during the five months of current fiscal year from March 21, the dispatch director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Mehdi Jamshidi Dana announced September 7.

Iran started gas export to Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, on June 22 in restricted amount at 7mn m³/d (2.55bn m³/yr). The volume would reach 25mn m³/d in coming years, based on agreement.

Iran also exports gas to Turkey. According to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) of Turkey, the country increased gas import from Iran by 22.85% to 4.7bn m³ during the first half of 2017.

Iran’s gas export to Turkey (mn m³)

Based on EMRA statistics

Iran also barters gas with Armenian power and swaps gas with Azerbaijan is a restricted amount at 350-400mn m³/d each. According to NIGC’s official website, Jamshidi Dana also said that delivering gas to power sector increased by 5% to 33bn m³ and industrial sector used 15bn m³ of gas, which indicates 3.5% growth year on year during five months of current fiscal year (March21-August22).

He did not mention gas use in housing and petrochemicals but according to the CEO of South Pars Gas Complex (SPGC), Masoud Hassani, raw gas production from South Pars gas field rose 15% to 68bn m³ over he same five months.

“South Pars shares 65% of Iran’s total refined gas consumption. Delivering sweet gas to grid from South Pars increased by 16% to 54bn m³ in the mentioned period,” he added. During the last two years, almost all of Iran’s gas production growth came from South Pars.

Therefore, Iran’s refined gas production increased at least 8.6bn m³ in five months and regarding 4.8bn m³ growth in export, delivering gas to power plants and industrial sector totally, Iran seems used more 3.8bn m³ of gas in housing and petrochemical plants in the mentioned period.

Dalga Khatinoglu