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Paknejad dismisses alleged challenges in oil sales
Speaking on Wednesday on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, the minister noted that significant contracts to boost gas production would soon be finalized, Shana reported.
Paknejad also reported a 35 to 40 million cubic meter reduction in household gas consumption in recent days, attributing the decrease to public cooperation.
“Thankfully, the public’s cooperation has been excellent, leading to reduced consumption in residential and commercial sectors. While we anticipated household consumption to reach up to 670 million cubic meters per day, public efforts have helped cut daily consumption by 35 to 40 million cubic meters,” he explained.
The minister emphasized that measures are being planned for next year to manage winter challenges more effectively.
“This year, some initiatives were delayed for various reasons. Next year, if I remain in office, I assure you that the oil industry will work diligently to prevent further shortcomings. I also commend the president’s rare act of apologizing to the public and, as Oil Minister, I apologize to the people for any shortcomings from any party,” he said.
Regarding the rise in petroleum product production, Paknejad announced a daily increase of over 10 million liters of diesel over the past two months. This was achieved through process adjustments at oil refineries and increased feedstock. “We’ve seen similar progress with gasoline production,” he said.
He added that power plants have diversified their fuel mix, which helped mitigate gas supply concerns during peak demand.
Paknejad highlighted successful energy diplomacy initiatives with neighboring countries, including potential agreements on gas swaps or imports.
“We’re currently negotiating with Turkmenistan to swap gas with two neighboring countries. This will help prevent potential pressure drops in the northeastern section of our national gas grid,” he said.
Commenting on the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Paknejad noted that discussions during the meeting focused on gas trade and policy-making.
“These talks help Iran, as the holder of the world’s second-largest gas reserves, achieve its objectives in gas trade,” he said.
Meanwhile, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) stated that rumors suggesting China will reduce its purchase of Iranian oil in the future are completely untrue, noting that both oil production and investments are on the rise.
On Tuesday evening, Mohammadreza Farzin in a televised interview said, “Oil production has not decreased, nor have the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Iran is among the top five gold purchasers globally and has one of the highest gold reserves relative to its foreign currency reserves.”