The CEO of
the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Hassan Montazer Torbati, held his
first press conference on Saturday since he took office in December.
During the
press conference, he said 97 percent of the country’s urban population and 82%
of the Iranian citizens in rural areas had access to natural gas supplied by
NIGC by the national gas distribution network which is one of the world’s most
expansive ones.
According to
him, 37% of the domestic gas consumption was in the power generation sector,
25% in the household sector, 30% in the industrial sector, and 4% was consumed
for production of compressed natural gas (CNG), which accounted for 20-23
million cubic meters per day of gas.
He said Iran
had reached self-sufficiency in production of most of the items used in gas
refining and distribution industries, adding gas exports could ensure amicable
relations with Iran’s neighbors.
The NIGC CEO
further predicted that all the Iranian villages would have access to gas by
2021, stating that villages with more than 20 households were prioritized to be
covered by the gas distribution network.
**Gas export
to Pakistan
The official
said Iran was ready to start the gas flow to neighboring Pakistan, adding, “We
are prepared to start the exports but we are waiting for the Pakistani part to
prepare the infrastructure for the project to complete.”
**Iraq
Regarding
ongoing gas exports to Iraq, the official said Iran was currently exporting gas
to Iraq’s Basra and Baghdad and received its dues accordingly.
He also said
that Iran needed no gas imports currently, adding a dispute with Turkmenistan
regarding the latter’s disruption of gas flow to Iran’s northern provinces had
been taken to international arbitration, adding the case was being pursued
through relevant legal channels, Shana wrote.
**Turkey
Touching on
gas exports to Turkey, Montazer Torbati said that both Tehran and Ankara were
keen on continuation of their gas deals give the former’s intentions to send
gas to Europe through Turkey and the latter’s rising demand for gas.
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