More than 26,000 kilometers of gas pipelines have been laid and the entire population (99.08% rural and 100% urban) are connected to the national network, IRNA reported.
Isfahan Gas Company is one of the largest suppliers of natural gas in the country and 110 cities and 1,060 villages in the central province, with a total of 1.8 subscribers, are connected to the gas grid.
The company is second in the country, after Tehran, in terms of gas consumption with annual sales of 21 billion cubic meters.
Of 1,238 villages in the province, with access to gas supply (villages with more than 20 households), gas has been provided to 1,060.
The reasons 180 villages are not yet linked include geography and rugged mountainous terrain plus long distances from the main pipelines.
Out of the total 10,000 industrial units in Isfahan 8,600 use natural gas.
Over 70% of the energy used in Isfahan is natural gas and it is the driving force of production in diverse sectors including industry, livestock, agriculture plus steel and power production.
Annually 7 billion cubic meters of gas is used by electricity companies in the province. There are five thermal power stations all of which use gas to generate electricity.
Using gas in power plants instead of liquid fuels such as diesel and mazut that are not eco-friendly help protect the environment with much less pollution.
Isfahan power plants and industries consume 70% of the gas delivered to the province.
At the national level, 30,000 villages with 4.6 million households and 1,148 cities with over 18 million households are connected to the national gas network
Gas is supplied to 97% of people in urban areas and 82% in the rural regions.