Iran Reports Sharp Rise in Household Gas Consumption

Iran is experiencing a major rise in daily gas consumption as more households and businesses turn up their heating to cope with an early cold spell. Figures released on Sunday by the Iranian Oil Ministry’s news service Shana showed that the country’s gas use had reached 695.9 million cubic meters (mcm) per day on Friday. The figures showed that households and businesses were responsible for more than 54% of the total gas consumption in Iran.

The local branch of the National Iranian Gas Company in Tehran province, which includes the capital, said on Sunday that gas use in the province had hit 57 million cubic meters in the past 24 hours, up 67% from the same period last week. The figures come amid a sharp drop in temperatures in Tehran and other cities in Iran.

However, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which controls the country’s gas fields in the south, said it is fully prepared to cope with a sudden rise in demand for natural gas. NIOC's CEO Hamid Bovard was in the gas production hub of Assaluyeh, in southern Iran, on Sunday to assess the readiness of refineries and transmission facilities for the winter season. “Thanks to the planning we’ve done based on last year’s experience, we’re entering this winter with better preparation and coordination,” Bovard said.

The official, who also serves as a deputy oil minister, said that Iran's improved management of gas demand would allow it to ease some of the restrictions typically imposed on industries during the colder months.

Iran is the world's fourth-largest consumer of natural gas, after the US, Russia, and China, with a peak demand that reaches nearly 900 million cubic meters per day on some cold winter days. NIGC figures show household demand for gas reached peaks of nearly 600 million mcm last year. - Press TV