NIGC restores 95m cubic meters of gas capacity lost in attacks
Iran has brough back 95 million cubic meters of daily natural gas production capacity damaged during the US-Israeli war, the head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said on Tuesday.
Saeed Tavakoli said “sabotage attacks” on March 18 knocked out about 230 million cubic meters of the country’s gas refining capacity, equivalent to one-third of total capacity, according to Tasnim News Agency.
“But with integrated management at the Oil Ministry and measures that began from the very first moments, 95 million cubic meters has so far returned to production, and efforts to fully restore the capacity will continue until before the start of the cold season,” Tavakoli said.
According to the NIGC, Iran’s gas industry was already facing a daily shortfall of about 300 million cubic meters before the war. The remaining 130 million cubic meters of lost capacity has been added to the existing deficit, making efforts to curb consumption more important than ever.
The NIGC head said the damage to gas industry facilities had been extensive, with a total of nearly 7,924 cases of damage recorded.
He said reconstruction and efforts to restore capacity were progressing rapidly through follow-up, planning and measures taken by the company.
Tavakoli said gas deliveries to some industries and small businesses were about 1 billion cubic meters higher than a year earlier.
He added that there were no restrictions on gas supplies to major industrial consumers, particularly steel and petrochemical producers, although some of those facilities were also damaged during the war.
Iran has about 34 trillion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves, making it the world’s second-largest holder of gas reserves after Russia. The country accounts for about 17% of global proven gas reserves.
Despite its vast reserves, a significant portion of Iran’s gas potential remains undeveloped because of sanctions-related constraints and insufficient investment.