TEHRAN – Saeid Tavakoli, CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said that storing more than 2.16 billion cubic meters of gas in the Shurijeh D reservoir, and bringing inventory to more than 3.33 billion cubic meters at the start of the cold season, has set a new record in the reservoir’s history. The result came from injecting more than the notified plan, managing the network efficiently, and keeping the injection facilities running at maximum stability.
Tavakoli said that this year the volume of gas stored in the Khangiran-based reservoir surpassed last year’s record, thanks to the NIGC dispatching team and the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad Refinery, in coordination with the Central Iran Oil Company. It is the second consecutive year a new record has been set in the field.
Tavakoli said gas injected into Shurijeh D was 370 million cubic meters above the notified plan. Current inventory has reached about 3.33 billion cubic meters, roughly 240 million cubic meters more than at the same time last year.
He added that, as at the Sarajeh reservoir, a new record for gas inventory at the start of the cold season has been set at Shurijeh D, which will be an important backstop for the stability of the national gas network.
Stressing the role of integrated network management, he said the achievement resulted from optimal network operation by the dispatching team, the allocation of more gas than the notified plan for injection, maximum and stable operation of NIGC’s injection facilities, and continuous coordination with upstream operators in Khangiran.
Tavakoli said injection into Shurijeh D ended on November 5 (14 Aban), and the reservoir will be ready to resume production from November 11 (20 Aban). He described gas storage in the reservoir as one of the country’s strategic assets, with an effective role in ensuring stable supply and managing the network during peak demand.
The Deputy Oil Minister for Gas Affairs said the underground reservoirs at Sarajeh in Qom and Shurijeh in Khangiran are the country’s two main gas storage fields. He added that making maximum use of their capacity, and coordinating production, transmission and distribution, are prerequisites for getting safely through the cold days of the year.
Tavakoli credited the staff of the Eastern Oil and Gas Production Company and the Central Iran Oil Company with helping to achieve this year’s record. He stressed that synergy between NIGC and upstream operators underpins the country’s energy security.
Storage at Shurijeh D takes place over the first eight months of the year, when gas consumption is low. The stored gas is then fed back into the national grid during the four cold months, preventing pressure drops and flow restrictions in the network.