TEHRAN- Gas reproduction has risen 15 percent in the country during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), as compared to its preceding year, according to the production director of Iranian Central Oilfields Company (ICOFC).

Ahmad Rajabi announced that about three billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas has been reproduced from the country’s gas storage facilities (Sarajeh and Shourijeh) in the past year.

He also said that 2.87 bcm of gas had been stored during the first eight months of the past year, showing a 24-percent rise year on year.

The country’s gas reproduction projects have registered some high records in the past decade, the official further highlighted.

In early January, the managing director of Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company announced that the country’s gas storage capacity will reach 6.5 billion cubic meters by the Iranian calendar year 1402 (starts in March 2023).

Bahram Salavati put the country’s current gas storage capacity at 3.25 bcm, and expressed hope that through implementation of different projects the figure will reach 6.5 bcm by the calendar year 1402.

As the first natural gas storage facility in Iran and West Asia, Sarajeh storage facility was officially inaugurated in January 2014 near Qom, 124 kilometers south of Tehran.

Iran has two major natural gas storage facilities in Sarajeh and Shourijeh, in which every year the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) stores the gas received from gas refineries all over the country to be used in the colder months of the year.

Following the development of the South Pars gas field and the increase in the country’s gas production capacity, construction and development of the country’s natural gas storage facilities has become a top priority.

Reproduction from Sarajeh and Shourijeh storages increased by 33 percent in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended in March 2020) compared to its preceding year, according to Rajabi.

The mentioned storages supply gas to six northern and northeastern provinces that are far from the southern gas-rich regions, eliminating the need for importing gas from Turkmenistan.

As one of the world’s top gas producers, Iran is planning to expand its underground natural gas storage capacity to ensure that enough natural gas is available during peak demand periods to avoid electricity supply shortfalls in the future.

According to the National Iranian Gas Company’s plans, the capacity of the two storage facilities, Sarajeh and Shourijeh, is planned to increase to over seven billion cubic meters in the future.

MA/MA