Hamid Bovard said Monday at the inauguration ceremony for the Tous gas field development project and the Dehloran pressure-boosting station that the new field will play a key role in balancing the national gas network and strengthening supply security in the northeast.

The projects were officially launched by President Masoud Pezeshkian, accompanied by Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad. Bovard said the administration has committed to bringing a major project online each month, adding that several large projects have already been completed and that two major developments were inaugurated Monday in border regions of the country.

Bovard said gas production in northeastern Iran currently stands at about 65 million cubic meters per day, with the East Oil and Gas Production Co. supplying gas to five provinces in the region.

He noted that the Tous field was discovered in 2003 and that its development marks the first such project undertaken after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Gas production from the field, he said, will significantly contribute to maintaining network balance and adequate pressure in northern Iran.

Initial production has been achieved through the drilling of four wells, with output capacity estimated at 3 million to 5 million cubic meters per day. Bovard said formal production began Monday by presidential order.

Bovard also pointed to the advantages of industrialized countries in integrated oil and gas field development, saying Iran and the National Iranian Oil Co. have achieved strong capabilities in this area.

He said several major fields have been developed in Iran since the revolution and that, for the first time under the current administration, development has begun on a new gas field in the northeast. Estimated gas reserves in the area are about 2 trillion cubic feet, with investment of roughly 120 million euros allocated for the project.

Given the strategic importance of the northeast for gas supply, Bovard said extensive exploration activities are underway, with several exploration projects currently in progress.

He added that additional developments, including the Cheshmeh-Shur gas field, are planned and expected to come online in the future. Financial guarantees for projects have been finalized in coordination with the oil minister and approved by the president, allowing work to move forward, he said.

While contractors have yet to be selected for two flare-related projects, Bovard said the issue is being addressed and other projects have entered execution, engineering and construction phases. He said efforts to cut red tape, ordered by the president, have helped resolve many implementation challenges.

Bovard said the Central Oil Fields Co. has added 16 million cubic meters per day to Iran’s gas production capacity under the current administration. With total capacity of about 250 million cubic meters per day, the company plays a key role in national gas supply after South Pars.