TEHRAN – Daily processing of natural gas in Iranian refineries has reached a new record high of 840 million cubic meters (mcm), according to the head of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).

“This figure has been unprecedented in the history of the country's gas processing industry and we hope it will increase even further in the next 10 days,” Shana quoted Hassan Montazer Torbati as saying.

According to Torbati, some changes have been made to the country’s refinery systems in order to meet part of the recent increase in natural gas consumption across the country by increasing production.

“These measures have been taken due to the significant surge in gas consumption by the household and commercial sectors, in order to balance the production and consumption to some extent.”

He called on households to manage their consumption during the cold season to ensure sustained supply of fuel to the industrial sector as well as the country’s power plants.

Despite all the external challenges like the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S. sanctions, the Iranian gas industry has been developing at a fast pace and the country is passing new milestones in this industry every day.

Various sectors of Iran’s gas industry including exploration, production, processing, and distribution are all among the world’s top charts and the country is taking new steps to develop the industry even further.

Among the NIGC’s latest achievements the significant increase in the gas refining and processing capacity is one that has been under the spotlight in recent years.

With the new developments in the country’s giant South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, and the increase in the gas production from this field, the Oil Ministry has been taking serious measures for the development of the country’s gas refineries to process the extracted gas.

Back in October 2020, the Head of NIGC’s Production Coordination and Supervision Directorate Masoud Zardovian said the daily processing capacity of Iranian gas refineries is planned to increase 10 percent in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20).

“With the gas sweetening units of phases 13, 22, and 24 of South Pars going operational, the gas processing capacity in this complex will increase by 10 percent,” Zardovian said.

According to the official, considering the mentioned increase, the country’s gas refining capacity will exceed one billion cubic meters per day by late March.

EF/MA