Hedayatollah Khademi, a former member of the Energy Commission of the Parliament, in assessing the gas supply situation ahead of the winter season, referred to a shortage equivalent to 400 million cubic meters of gas. He stated that the gas imbalance in Iran has become one of the main challenges for the country's energy security. While Iran has the second-largest gas reserves in the world, during winters, instead of exporting and generating foreign currency, we face gas cuts for industries and concerns about providing household fuel.
Challenges of Gas Supply in Winter
Khademi emphasized that the level of gas production and consumption in Iran is such that cold weather, as an unpredictable factor, directly affects energy security. He added that this year, in addition to the usual imbalance, some gas facilities and refineries have also been damaged due to recent attacks. This situation increases the likelihood of problems during peak winter consumption and may lead to gas cuts for some industries.
Read more: The commander of Ukraine's drone forces reported the deactivation of 300 ships
Solutions and Existing Barriers
This former member of the Energy Commission of the Parliament stated that despite increased production in onshore fields and bringing some damaged refineries back online, the reality is that we are still facing a shortage of 400 million cubic meters of gas. He noted that more time is needed to compensate for the shortfall. He also pointed out that one of the biggest challenges is the inability to import enough from Turkmenistan due to financial issues. Although Turkmenistan is willing to swap and transfer gas to Iran, it is currently engaged with Azerbaijan.
Khademi further stated that there is a concerning situation. Despite Iran having the second-largest gas reserves in the world, due to incorrect policies, we have to wait for the weather not to get cold in winter to meet domestic needs. He referred to the weaknesses in gas supply in the country and said that currently, due to excessive gas supply to various areas, industrial production is halted to ensure household gas supply.
Khademi also explained the competition with neighbors in extracting from shared fields, stating that the situation is not favorable. In the South Pars shared field, Qatar is extracting at maximum capacity and has become the world's main LNG producer. However, Iran is still struggling with imbalance and is lagging in oil fields as well. Iraq has a production plan of over 5.5 million barrels per day, while Iran's fields have reached the second half of their lifespan and are facing challenges in increasing recovery rates.
This energy expert, referring to the lag in shared offshore fields, mentioned the Farzad field shared with Saudi Arabia, stating that this country is actively developing it, while Iran has not established any platform in this area. This trend has been ongoing for decades and reflects serious challenges in gas and oil supply in Iran.
Read more: A Russian cargo ship has departed from Tobruk port towards Turkey · Iran's gas transfer company is preparing for winter 1405
