Mahmoud Najafi-Arab, President of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the importance of private sector cooperation to address the challenges in the energy sector during today's meeting (Tuesday, November 12) with Hamid Bourd, the caretaker of the Ministry of Oil. He noted the necessity of managing energy consumption and announced that the private sector is ready to assist the Ministry of Oil in various areas, including consumption management and energy supply.
The Necessity of Energy Consumption Management
Najafi-Arab emphasized energy consumption management and referred to the necessity of utilizing the capacities of private sector organizations to provide solutions such as optimizing the consumption of gas heaters and managing consumption in the residential sector. He pointed out that the implementation of programs should be such that the economic interests of the private sector are also considered, as without economic justification, the continuity and effective execution of projects are not possible.
Read more: 3% Decrease in Oil Prices with Ongoing Iran-Qatar Negotiations
Attention to Commercial and Industrial Centers
The President of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce also referred to the necessity of managing energy consumption in commercial and retail centers and stated that the consumption patterns and operating hours of these centers should be reviewed. He suggested that experiences from other countries in this area should be utilized to achieve the desired goals.
Najafi-Arab also highlighted the importance of the residential sector in gas consumption and emphasized the need for serious attention to reforming consumption patterns in this sector. He stated: "To navigate the upcoming conditions, the issue of using alternative fuels must be pursued in cooperation with the responsible agencies. Additionally, companies and industrial units should take action now to complete their liquid fuel reserves and not postpone fuel supply until a crisis occurs."
Examining Gas Import Solutions
Najafi-Arab emphasized the necessity of examining gas import solutions and said: "Joint meetings between the Ministry of Oil and the private sector should be held to explore the possibility of gas imports or utilizing other energy supply capacities so that we face the least amount of outages during the cold season." He also pointed to the importance of sustainable energy supply in the northern regions of the country and mentioned that the provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan, and Gilan play a significant role in providing protein products.
Private Sector Participation in Oil and Gas Field Development
Najafi-Arab also stressed the need for private sector participation in the development of oil and gas fields and said: "The grounds for effective private sector presence in development and exploitation projects must be provided. In this regard, it is necessary to examine and eliminate the barriers to competition and participation of private and public companies in tenders so that the investment capacity and technical capabilities of the private sector can be utilized for national interests."
During this meeting, members of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce also expressed their views on private sector cooperation with the oil industry, demand management in the energy sector, and the necessity of developing the CNG industry. This meeting was held to examine the challenges facing the energy sector and its impacts on the economic and industrial activities of the country.
Read more: The Ministry of Oil Collected 17 Million Cubic Meters of Flare Gas Daily · Ebrahim Mohseni Hamgarani Emphasized Gas Consumption Management in Isfahan
