Paknejad made the comments after presenting the Petroleum Ministry’s
performance report for the first four months of the Iranian calendar year to
Parliament’s Energy Commission, where officials also discussed challenges
facing the oil and gas sectors.
Damage to several gas-processing facilities in Assaluyeh during the
recent war has reduced available production capacity, but output losses have
been largely offset by drawing on capacity at other processing plants, Paknejad
said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
Based on figures from the National Iranian Gas Company, around 95
million cubic meters a day of lost production is expected to return to the
network by the end of September, he said.
Assaluyeh Repairs Accelerate
Reconstruction work at four damaged gas-processing plants is
progressing simultaneously and at an accelerated pace, Paknejad said.
Debris removal has been completed as the first stage of the recovery
effort, while the reconstruction framework has been established and contractors
have begun work, he said. The projects are expected to be completed ahead of
schedule, allowing the full lost capacity to eventually return to the national
gas network.
Still, some of the restored capacity will not be available during the
winter, Paknejad said, underscoring the pressure on Iran’s gas system as
seasonal demand rises.
The government will therefore need to manage both supply and
consumption to avoid disruptions in gas availability during the colder months,
he said.
Paknejad also called on households to reduce gas consumption, saying
public cooperation in managing demand would be critical to navigating the
coming period.