Iran's Gas Transport Network Needs Renovation

EghtesadOnline: Iran has 37,000 kilometers of high-pressure gas pipelines and more than 2,000 trucks to transport CNG, a large part of which need renovation, the manager for operations coordination at the Iranian Gas Transmission Company said.

News ID: ۷۴۹۳۲۷

30 December 2019

“Iran has one of the largest gas networks in the world and IGTC has one of the largest transport fleets among the subsidiaries of the Oil Ministry. However, about 70% of the grid and transportation system is dilapidated and need renovation,” the Oil Ministry news agency Shana quoted Majid Mosadeqi as saying.

IGTC’s mission is to supply safe and clean natural gas to all parts of the country on a regular basis, Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.

Referring to the importance of keeping machinery up-to-date with current prices and conditions, he said: “We must make the most of what is available. From next year we will launch a nationwide system to monitor the transportation fleet”.

Soaring inflation and the new US economic sanctions imposed in 2018 has significantly increased the import cost of most equipment. Several parts needed to be replaced but the new items cannot be purchased because of either sanctions or high prices.

Iran's gas delivery sector with more than half a century history currently supplies 75% of domestic needs.

Effective Measures

The IGTC has taken measures to help improve the gas transmission network, including reducing waste in the grid by 6% and producing equipment such as compressors with the help of domestic manufactures.

According to the National Iranian Gas Company, 98% of the country’s urban population will have access to natural gas by the end of the current fiscal (March 2020).

So far, 21 provinces (of the total 31) have gas supply lines to all their urban and rural areas. Three more provinces will join the list come March.

More than 77% of the rural population has access to the national gas distribution network. Almost 3,000 villages have been connected to the gas grid since the beginning of the current fiscal.

According to NIGC data, 1,100 cities, 24,000 towns and 27,000 villages are linked to the rapidly expanding piped gas infrastructure.

By the end of the year, gas supply to another 3,000 villages will be completed and 84% of rural regions will be connected to the network.

The move is in line with the government's goal of linking all urban areas and 90% of the suburban population to the gas network by 2022.