Mostafa Nakhaei made the remarks Sunday at a ceremony marking the unveiling and signing of contracts with gas aggregator companies. He pointed to new records in national gas consumption and praised the National Iranian Gas Company for maintaining system stability.

“In such conditions, the determination of the National Iranian Gas Company has ensured the stability of the network across the country and for the public, and I appreciate these efforts,” he said.

Nakhaei also referred to what he described as the company’s performance during a recent 12-day conflict, saying it continued to operate despite facing numerous incidents and prevented any disruption in gas supplies.

He stressed the importance of energy-efficiency measures, noting that the issue has been taken seriously in parliament through the country’s seventh development plan and recent annual budgets.

“Energy intensity in our country is high, and we consume three times the global average,” he said.

Nakhaei added that strong laws have been enacted to improve energy efficiency and that the National Iranian Gas Co. has taken the lead in implementing them. One such step, he said, is tapping the capacity of gas aggregator companies, which he predicted would produce substantial savings in the sector.

He said other ministries, including the Energy Ministry, should replicate the model, adding that the parliamentary Energy Commission would support the effort to ensure energy-optimization policies are implemented nationwide.