Iran ended 2022 with record gas output of 1.04bn m³/d (36.7bn cfd) according to comments from NIOC production director Hormoz Qalavand carried by state news agency Tasnim on 29 December 2022. The Islamic Republic is struggling to curb high gas demand from its residential and commercial consumers as winter temperatures fall below zero, leading Tehran to restrict gas supply to industrial and government consumers (MEES, 23 December 2022). Tasnim reports that additional output came from overhauling NGL plants in southwestern Iran which added some 10mn m³/d (350mn cfd) to output.
Iran is in dire need of foreign investment as it has had neither access to crucial gas technologies nor the funds to boost its overall gas output capacity to the planned 1.5bn m³/d day (550bcm/year, 53bn cfd) by 2030 at an expected cost of $80bn (MEES, 14 January 2022). (CONTINUED - 135 WORDS)