Natural gas pipelines reach Zabol in Iran’s far east

Natural gas pipelines have reached Iran’s far eastern city of Zabol near the border with Afghanistan as Iran’s Oil Ministry pushes ahead with an ambitious plan to make natural gas available to almost the entire population in the country.

Oil Ministry authorities and local officials attended a ceremony in Zabol on Sunday to celebrate the city’s connection to the Lane 7 of Iran’s nationwide gas pipeline network.

Reports in the local media said that the government had spent 2.5 trillion rials ($85 million) to finish the 219-kilometer gas pipeline connecting the provincial capital of Zahedan to Zabol, a large population center located 20 kilometers from the Iran-Afghanistan border.

Authorities said the arrival of gas to Zabol will enable all villages and towns in the relatively impoverished region to access natural gas through pipelines.

The inauguration came as the Oil Ministry launched several major gas projects, including the connection to the gas pipelines of 16 towns, some 1,091 villages and 1,959 manufacturing units.

Oil Minister Javad Owji said the gas projects opened on Sunday had cost the government some 10 trillion rials ($335 million).

Iran has one of the largest natural gas supply networks in the world.  Official figures show that natural gas is currently available to more than 87% of the population in the country through a pipeline network that is more than 37,000 kilometers in length.

The Iranian government has an ambitious plan to further expand the pipeline network to supply natural gas to almost the entire population, including all villages with more than 20 households.

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