Saeed Tavakoli, the CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company, announced a 14% decrease in gas delivery to the national grid in the first half of this solar year. This decrease comes as data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the daily production of processed gas in Iran during the first half of last year averaged 712 million cubic meters.
Details of Production Decrease
Thus, the daily production of processed gas in Iran in the first half of this year has decreased by about 100 million cubic meters compared to last year. This production decrease occurs while Israel targeted the South Pars gas processing facilities in Assaluyeh at the end of last year. Despite these attacks and domestic gas shortages, official statistics from Turkey indicate that the Islamic Republic has increased gas exports to this country to over 30 million cubic meters per day from March to July, which is 25% higher than the same period last year.
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Challenges Ahead This Winter
In previous years, Iran has exported gas to Iraq on par with Turkey, but no report has yet been published regarding Iran's gas exports to Iraq this year. Given the decrease in industrial gas demand due to attacks on steel and petrochemical facilities, the increase in Iran's gas exports to Turkey during the warm seasons, despite the 14% decrease in the country's gas production, does not seem unlikely. However, with the onset of cold seasons and a significant increase in household, commercial, and agricultural consumption, it is expected that the country's gas deficit this winter will increase significantly.
Data from the Statistical Center shows that the average daily consumption of the residential sector in Iran during the spring and summer of last year was less than 85 million cubic meters, equivalent to only 12% of the country's processed gas production. In the fall of last year, this figure rose to over 182 million cubic meters (equivalent to 23% of gas production) and peaked in winter at 323 million cubic meters (equivalent to 39% of the country's gas production in that season).
A similar situation is observed in the agricultural and commercial sectors; a situation that led Iran to reduce gas delivery to industries and power plants in winter by 45% compared to the warm seasons, bringing it down to 296 million cubic meters. Given the 14% decrease in gas production this year, it is expected that the winter gas deficit will be much greater than last year.
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