Ahmad Zeraatkar, deputy petroleum minister for planning,
said the initiative would rely on private-sector energy service companies,
digital platforms and data-driven tools to reduce consumption and channel the
resulting gas savings to productive industries.
Speaking at a meeting on resolving challenges facing energy
service companies operating under Type 2 contracts, Zeraatkar said the National
Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) was undergoing a structural shift from a traditional
focus on expanding gas networks towards a broader role in regulating and
managing consumption.
The new approach involves coordinating consumption
management across more than 30 provincial gas companies and their affiliated
units, he said.
Private sector to drive efficiency
Zeraatkar said the government was seeking to draw on
private-sector investment, technological innovation and university expertise to
address longstanding inefficiencies in gas consumption.
For nearly three decades, gas-saving initiatives had largely
remained at the level of conferences and theoretical discussions, he said,
adding that closer operational coordination between NIGC's headquarters and
provincial companies was intended to deliver tangible results during the coming
winter.
Digital platforms, information technology tools and data
governance systems are central to the programme, which aims to involve millions
of gas subscribers in reducing consumption.
Under the proposed model, energy service companies, known in
Iran as karvar companies, would use digital platforms to turn household
energy savings into an economic incentive, allowing consumers to benefit
financially from reduced gas use.
Savings to support industrial output
Gas saved through efficiency measures in household, public
and commercial consumption would be redirected to productive sectors, Zeraatkar
said, particularly during colder months when heating demand can constrain
supplies to industry.
The policy is intended to prevent gas shortages from
disrupting industrial growth and employment, while aligning household
incentives, private-sector investment returns and government energy-management
objectives.
Zeraatkar said the initiative drew on established
international approaches to energy-demand management and regulation, adapted to
Iran's domestic conditions.
He also announced the establishment of a dedicated service
desk for energy service companies to help resolve administrative obstacles,
accelerate technical procedures, facilitate data exchange and improve
cooperation with provincial gas utilities.
The service desk is intended to help private-sector
operators advance their projects more efficiently, he said.
Iran relies heavily on natural gas for household heating,
power generation and industrial production, making winter demand management a
key challenge for maintaining reliable supplies to businesses and factories.