Iran ranked third in terms of gas production last year, after the US and Russia, with 256.7 billion cubic meters, according to BP’s latest annual statistical review of world energy.
The report shows that Iran’s production increased by 3.1% in 2021 compared to its output in 2020, IRNA reported.
With 256.7 bcm of gas output, Iran’s share of the world's natural gas production in 2021 was 6.4%.
According to the report, natural gas production in Iran has been on an uptrend since 2011, and the US sanctions imposed against Iran could not stop or reverse the growth of gas production in the country.
In the past decade, natural gas production in Iran has grown by an average 5.4% annually, which is more than twice the global average growth. The world's natural gas production has grown by an average of 2.2% per year in the 10-year period.
Based on the report, the US took the top spot, producing 934.2 bcm of gas last year, which was a 2.3% increase compared to the 2020 figure of 915.9 bcm of gas. Russia ranked second in gas production last year with 701.7 bcm.
Iranians consumed 6% of the world's total gas consumption last year and were the fourth largest gas consumers in the world
Along with the rise in output, consumption also increased last year.
Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC) says the electricity usage in the country has broken an all-time record as scorching heat stretches the power grid to near its limits.
IGMC’s CEO Mostafa Rajabi said peak demand for electricity in Iran reached 67,012 megawatts at 16:16 PM Saturday.
That broke the record of 63,318 megawatts set in August last year, Rajabi said.