Iran to restore 95 mcm/day of gas production by end-September

Iran plans to restore 95 million cubic metres (mcm) of natural gas production capacity per day by the end of September, the country's oil ministry announced on Tuesday. This comes as Tehran works to repair energy infrastructure that was damaged during the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States.

In July, a high-ranking government official had estimated that Iran would recover approximately 100 mcm/day of natural gas production capacity within the coming months following the strikes that had reduced output by around 230 mcm/day since the war began in late February. According to the oil ministry's news outlet, Iran will regain 95 mcm/day of lost capacity by repairing gas-processing facilities in Assaluyeh.

Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad stated that the impact of the damage had largely been offset by utilizing spare capacity at other gas-processing plants. Reconstruction efforts are advancing swiftly, with debris cleared, reconstruction systems in place, and contractors already working on the projects. Paknejad noted that the rebuilding process is expected to finish ahead of schedule, enabling the full restoration of the lost capacity to the production network.

However, it should be noted that some of the restored capacity will be unavailable during the winter months, according to Paknejad. Consequently, Iran will need to carefully manage both gas supply and consumption to prevent challenges in meeting demand.