TEHRAN – Iranian natural gas exports to the neighboring countries increased by 3.6 billion cubic meters in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19) registering a 26-percent rise year on year, said managing director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).

Referring to the gas industry’s new records in production, transmission, distribution and exports during the previous Iranian calendar year, Hassan Montazer Torbati pointed to the unprecedented increase of natural gas exports last year and said that the surge in exports was realized despite the significant increase in the domestic consumption.

“Last year, the cumulative consumption by domestic, commercial and small industrial sectors increased by about 10 billion cubic meters, but despite new consumption records, the gas supply to urban and rural households was not interrupted and the exports increased,” he said.

Noting that the total gas production in the previous year reached about 270 billion cubic meters, Torbati emphasized that considering the increase in both production and consumption of natural gas, the national network handled the transmission of the added output smoothly.

The NIGC head further noted that the outbreak of coronavirus hasn’t had any negative impact on the company’s development projects and programs.

“With careful planning and with the implementation of all health protocols, the outbreak of corona did not disrupt the gas industry’s development process,” he said.

Iran is currently exporting gas to its western neighbors including Turkey and Iraq.

Back in May, Torbati had said that the conditions governing Iran’s long-term gas contracts probably undergo essential changes after the coronavirus pandemic.

The official told ILNA that Iran would introduce new pricing mechanisms in gas export deals in the future, without elaborating on how they would work.

In late April, NIGC Dispatching Director Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana said the country is exporting 32 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas to Iraq on a daily basis.

Natural gas export to Turkey has been halted following an explosion on a pipeline near their joint border in early March.

EF/MA