‘More than double’: Iran moves to accelerate gas infrastructure development
The acting head of Iran’s Gas Engineering and Development Company announced progress in strategic gas storage, transmission, measurement, and optimization projects, stating, “With the commissioning of gas storage development projects in Sarajeh and Shourijeh, the country’s gas storage capacity will more than double.”
In an interview with SHANA, Behnam Mirzaei emphasized that the company, as the executor of major projects for the National Iranian Gas Company, is laying the groundwork for gas industry development, saying, “The company’s mandate includes the design, implementation, and commissioning of high-pressure transmission pipelines, pressure boosting stations, storage projects, measurement systems, and refinery expansion initiatives.”
Mirzaei highlighted the Sarajeh Gas Storage Project in Qom (central Iran) — with a current annual capacity of 1 billion cubic meters —as one of the key ongoing storage projects set to become operational this year.
“Storage projects involve injecting gas into reservoirs during eight months of warm seasons and utilizing the stored gas in the network during four months of cold seasons, preventing gas supply shortages,” he added.
Doubling Shourijeh gas storage capacity
Mirzaei noted that another critical project is the Shourijeh Gas Storage Development in Sarakhs region, designed to address supply imbalances in northern and northeastern Iran with an annual capacity of 2.025 billion cubic meters.
Iran opened Shourijeh as the largest gas storage facility in the Middle East in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi in 2014.
“The Shourijeh D development project, currently 55% physically completed, encompasses upstream, downstream, and general sectors,” he stated.
The project involves drilling 28 storage wells and installing three high-capacity compressors, marking the first domestically produced compressors in Iran capable of increasing pressure from 50 bar to 345 bar.
“Upon completion, Shourijeh’s gas storage capacity will rise to 4.5 billion cubic meters per year,” Mirzaei added.
The official also cited the underground natural gas storage project in the Nasrabad salt domes in Kashan as another key initiative of the company, stating, “Given the region’s geographical position in central Iran and its proximity to transmission pipelines, this project will play a significant role in mitigating gas supply-demand imbalances.”
He discussed the company’s measures to accelerate the implementation of priority projects, stating, “Transformations are underway in both software and hardware domains.”