Iran is expected to open a natural gas liquids (NGL) production plant by the end of March 2014 at the Kharg Island, located in the Gulf
Reza Bayazi, Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), said, "The project is now 50 per cent complete," and added that the plant would have the capacity to intake 600mn cubic metres of natural gas per day, according to ISNA news agency.
In September 2012, Javad Oji, National Iranian Gas Company's managing director, said that Iran would implement a plan for putting out flares at gas refineries by the end of the fifth five-year development plan, i.e., March 2016 that aimed to reduce energy consumption at gas refining facilities. He added that 25mn cubic metres of gas would be saved at gas refining units.
Hamdollah Mohammadnejad, Iran's deputy oil minister, said in 2011, "Iran has allocated US$2bn to collect associated gas at Kharg and Bahregan oil regions."
Around 40mn cubic metres, amounting to US$15bn, of associated gas in oilfields are burnt daily, the official said.
Since 2001, Iran's annual imports of gas have been more than exports by nearly 71bn cubic metres on the average.
