TEHRAN – Gas transmission in Iran has hit a new record of over 844 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) in the current Iranian calendar month of Azar (started on November 22), Iranian Gas Transmission Company (IGTC)’s Managing Director Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana announced.

Referring to the beginning of the cold days of the year and the increase in gas consumption, Jamshidi-Dana called on people to manage their consumption, saying that a 10 to 15 percent decrease in consumption would solve the issue of gas shortage in other sectors, IRIB reported.

The official noted that his company has stored 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Sarajeh storage facility of which so far 200 mcm has been transmitted to the north and northeast provinces.

Earlier in November, Jamshidi-Dana said his company was completely prepared for sustainable gas supply throughout the country during winter.

The official said the major overhaul of the pressure boosting facilities, pipeline operation centers, smart monitoring stations was carried out and timely periodic visits were also done to ensure sustainable and secure gas supply to Iranian subscribers in the country during winter.

Stating that the company had taken all the necessary measures for the sustained transmission of gas during the winter, Jamshidi Dana said: "Due to the increase in the amount of gas consumption at peak periods, all operational areas are ready to operate at maximum capacity and spare units are also prepared to ensure the stability of gas transmission and to avoid any disruption."

According to the IGTC head, the transmission capacity of the national gas network has currently reached 818 mcm/d.

As one of the world’s top gas producers, Iran has been following a plan 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 (NIGC)’s plans, the capacity of the two storage facilities, Sarajeh and Shourijeh, is planned to increase to over seven billion cubic meters in near future.

EF/MA