‘Iran gas refining capacity to hit 1bcm’

National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) says the country™s natural gas refining capacity will climb to one billion cubic meters (bcm) per day in two years™ time.

Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana, NIGC™s director for coordination and supervision on production, said on Tuesday that the refining section of Iranian gas industry managed to register a daily output of 520 mcm during last calendar year™s peak gas consumption period and the figure will reach 1 bcm per day by March 2016.

The NIGC official added that the giant offshore South Pars gas field in southern Iran is supplying 44 percent of domestic gas demand.

œFajr-e Jam and Parsian refineries come next in terms of gas production, with [shares of] 21 and 17 percent [in country's gas ouput], respectively,” he added.

Jamshidi-Dana noted that Iranian gas refineries produced nearly 161 bcm of gas last calendar year, up eight percent from three years before.

œBy reducing the time needed to do basic maintenance in refineries, [Iran™s] gas production has increased by 37 mcm per day…,”he stated.

On Monday, Iran™s Deputy Oil Minister Javad Owji said the country™s natural gas exports will increase to nearly 100 mcm per day by the end of the current Iranian year (ending March 20, 2013) earning the country more than USD 10 billion per annum.

Iran, which sits on the world’s second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, is making efforts to up its gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investments, especially in South Pars gas field.

MRS/KA/SS