Oil minister said Tuesday that plans to secure winter fuel supplies include storing liquid fuel at power plants and increasing gas oil reserves for industries, aiming to prevent service disruptions during peak gas consumption periods.
Mohsen Paknejad made the remarks after attending a session of the parliament's Energy Committee, where he discussed the winter fuel situation and responded to lawmakers' questions. He said Iran has recovered part of its lost natural gas production capacity and taken special measures to secure liquid fuel for power plants and industries.
Addressing Lawmakers' Concerns
Paknejad said his meeting with the committee's chairman and members allowed him to fulfill lawmakers' oversight responsibilities by addressing questions and concerns raised by commission members.
He said oil industry officials provided detailed explanations on various matters during the meeting, resulting in productive conclusions. He added that the ministry would incorporate lawmakers' guidance to improve operations, boost efficiency and better serve the public.
Recovering Lost Gas Production Capacity
Discussing the state of power plant fuel supplies and natural gas production, Paknejad said Iran lost about 230 million cubic meters of gas processing capacity after four gas refineries went offline following an imposed war late last year. He said officials worked around the clock to recover nearly 100 million cubic meters of that lost capacity by using spare capacity at other refineries.
He said a shortfall of more than 120 million cubic meters remains, adding to this year's gas supply deficit and requiring precise management mechanisms.
Detailed Planning for Power Plants and Industries
Paknejad said previous meetings with the Energy Commission produced a gas allocation and delivery schedule that has largely clarified the ministry's obligations, particularly regarding gas deliveries to power plants, which he called the backbone of the country's electricity supply.
He said one of the most effective measures taken ahead of the cold season has been completing and expanding liquid fuel reserves at power plants. He added that authorities have also coordinated to increase fuel oil and gas oil storage for industries, so that liquid fuel can offset gas shortfalls to power plants and industries during peak cold periods, when residential and commercial consumption rises sharply, and prevent service interruptions.