Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 19 / Trend, A.Yusifzade /
Since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year,1389 (started on 21 March), Iran has imported 6.3 billion cubic meters of gas while has exported nearly 7 billion cubic meters of gas to neighboring countries, Naft News reported quoting the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Javad Oji as saying. This figures show 40% increase compared with the same period last year.
According to Oji Iran's gas export to neighboring countries has increased by 33.5% compared to last year.
Oji said that Iran's gas export balance will increase by 7 percent by the end of the fifth five year development plan in 2015.
In September 2010, Eldar Shiriyev, deputy head of the oil and gas department at Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry, said Azerbaijan exports about 1.2 million cubic meters of gas to Iran per day through a swap deal.
Last December, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Javad Oji said that his country is exporting a daily average of more than 30 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey, which indicates a daily growth of 11 million cubic meters in 2010.
In 2009, Iran exported an average of 21 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey per day.
Turkmenistan sold 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran in 2010 from 5.8 bcm in 2005. Turkmenistan normally supplies 5 percent of Iran's gas demand. Both countries inaugurated Dauletabad-Sarakhs-Khangiran pipeline in 2010 to raise natural gas supplies to Iran to 20 billion cubic meters a year.
Earlier NIGC managing director said that developing gas fields in the Persian Gulf is one of our top priorities. The gas extracted from the South and North Pars, Golshan, Ferdosi, Kish, Lavan, Farzad B, Balal, Salman fields will meet Iran's demand in domestic fuel. It will be also exported to Persian Gulf countries.
South Pars, known as the world's largest gas field, holds an estimated 50.97 trillion cubic meters (1,800 trillion cubic feet) of in-situ gas and roughly 50 billion barrels of condensate.
The Iranian share of the field includes reserves of about 14 trillion cubic meters of gas, which accounts for about eight percent of the total world gas reserves. The process of developing the gas production project from South Pars field is divided into 28 phases.
This gas field covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, of which 3,700 square kilometers (South Pars) is in Iranian territorial waters and 6,000 square kilometers (North Dome) - Qatar's territorial waters.
