Hassan Abbaszadeh said Sunday on the sidelines of a signing ceremony for energy-saving projects that optimizing energy consumption is critical. Natural gas is a primary feedstock for the petrochemical industry, he said, and rising demand from households and public sectors can at times constrain industrial supply. With public participation and awareness efforts, he added, gas use can be optimized so industrial output is not curtailed.

Abbaszadeh said several agreements were signed under which petrochemical companies will carry out public outreach and replace equipment in the northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. The measures aim to reduce natural gas use in households and public facilities and restore industrial production to normal levels. He said broader participation would help achieve efficiency targets and free up additional usable gas.

Industry targets gas-use cuts in three provinces

Abbaszadeh said energy service companies are acting as implementing intermediaries for gas-reduction efforts and expressed hope for lower consumption and a faster return of production to normal this year. Because of supply-demand imbalances, he said, the petrochemical industry has focused on three provinces where household use, public facilities, greenhouses and poultry farms account for high consumption and where efficiency measures can have the greatest impact.

He said the industry’s target this year is double last year’s level, with an expected reduction of about 42%. Over the course of several months, consumption is projected to fall by roughly 2 million cubic meters per day, he said, noting the impact varies by product but expressing hope that production losses will be limited.

Abbaszadeh also cited efforts to capture flared gas, saying about 1.5 billion cubic feet per day is being recovered through major projects in Khuzestan and neighboring provinces. Many of the projects have come online this year, and 14 large flares have been shut down so far under the Bidboland Persian Gulf project, out of 57 planned. The measures protect the environment, prevent waste of valuable resources and return flared gas to the industry’s economic cycle.

The deputy oil minister thanked the Oil Ministry for its cooperation and said private-sector efforts, nongovernmental organizations and the media—along with public trust—play a decisive role in achieving energy-efficiency goals.