Page 11 - DMEA Week 35 2022

DMEA REFINING & FUELS DMEA

Iran and Russia set to sign sales, swap

agreements for gas and fuel, Owji says

MIDDLE EAST IRAN and Russia will sign a gas purchase and government [of the Islamic Republic],” he stated.
swap deal in the very near future, according Iran’s natural gas refining capacity has
to Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji, as cited by reached 1.03bn cubic metres in the past 12
official Iranian energy news agency Shana on months, while 530 km of new gas pipelines have
August 26. been laid to transfer fuel to seven power plants,
“The negotiations for the purchase and swap he added.
of gas in relation to Russia have been finalised Already operating the largest natural gas
and [the contract] will be signed in the near network in West Asia, NIGC says it continues
future in Moscow by the National Iranian Gas to expand it to the country’s most remote areas
Company [NIGC] and the Russian side,” Owji and that presently more than 95% of the Iranian
was quoted as saying, following an August 24 population of around 85mn people enjoy natu-
meeting in Tehran with Igor Yevgenyevich Levi- ral gas via the network, which extends to over
tin, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 36,000 km.
Negotiations were also held on petroleum According to NIGC data, Iran produces
product swaps, Owji added. The minister also more than 810mn cubic metres (mcm) of nat-
stated that in the petrochemical sector, Iran has ural gas per day. It is mostly used domestically,
signed some contracts for the export of products with relatively small amounts exported to neigh-
and catalysts to Russia. bouring countries, including Iraq and Turkey.
Russian companies, he also noted, would be Iran has the second largest natural gas
working on improving recovery rates at Iran’s reserves in the world, behind those of Russia.
giant South Pars gas field. In terms of increas- New discoveries, when confirmed, could see
ing the pressure of gas fields, “the Russians have Iran take the number one spot in years ahead,
good capabilities,” said Owji. some analysts say. ™
Separately, Majid Chegeni, managing direc-
tor of NIGC, divulged some statistics on Iran’s
gas industry performance while speaking dur-
ing the inauguration of several gas projects on
the occasion of Iran’s Government Week, IRNA
reported on August 28.
Chegeni was quoted as saying that the coun-
try’s gas revenues were up 64% since the new
government took office in Iran in August last
year. “An 11% increase in gas exports to Turkey
and the continuation of negotiations to increase
exports [to Turkey], the collection of around
$1.6bn of Iran’s gas dues from Iraq and, among
other moves, a 138% increase in gas swaps have
promoted the energy diplomacy of the 13th Owji (R) and Levitin (L) met in Tehran on August 24 (Photo: Shana)

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil discusses effort to

ensure diesel supplies during heat wave

MIDDLE EAST IRAQ’S Ministry of Oil (MoO) said last week Younis, the ministry’s undersecretary for dis-
that it was working to ensure that all regions of tribution, said officials in Baghdad were aware
the country are adequately supplied with diesel that demand levels for diesel fuel, along with
in the face of a heat wave that has been gripping other refined petroleum products, had risen this
the country this summer. summer as a consequence of the extreme high
In a statement dated August 23, Hamid temperatures.

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