Iranian Companies to Build CNG Stations for Iraq

 (FNA)- Iran's private companies have been commissioned to construct condensed natural gas (CNG) stations in Iraq, an Iranian energy official announced on Sunday.

"As per our negotiations, Iran is slated to construct CNG stations (across Iraq) after exporting gas to the Muslim country in June," Head of the National Iranian Oil Production and Distribution Company (NIOPDC) Mostafa Kashkouli told FNA on Sunday.

Kashkouli's remarks came after Iran announced that Iranian contractors "will start construction" of a 270-kilometer gas pipeline to Iraq in a bid to export 25mln cubic meters of gas to the neighboring country per day.

In December, an Iraqi energy expert said that Baghdad has commissioned Iranian companies to build Iraq's CNG stations.

"Iraq has fully trusted the Iranian companies for the construction of a 270-kilometer gas pipeline from Iran to al-Mansoureh power plant, and hence it has also commissioned them to construct the CNG stations (across Iraq)," Hossein al-Jawaheri told FNA at the time.

The 42-inch pipeline is slated to export Iran's gas to Iraq's al-Mansoureh power plant and Baghdad via Ilam border in Western Iran.

The pipeline will take Iran's gas from the country's South gas field phases in Southern Iran to the power plant in Iraq.

"Another issue that Iran is slated to invest in Iraq is construction of CNG stations," al-Jawaheri said.

He noted that Iran's CNG stations are comparable to the European ones, and said that during his recent visit to Iran he has closely saw Iran's advancements in the field.

Also in December, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) Jalil Salari announced Iran owns the second largest CNG burned fleet in the world with three million vehicles.

Salari made the remarks at the fifth conference on CNG industry in Tehran, where he also added that the industry has played a big role in nullifying the impact of sanctions.

"At present, there are 1960 CNG fuel stations across the country supplying three million CNG burned vehicles with 18 million cubic meters of compressed gas each day," he said.

"Quantitative targets related to replacing part of liquid fuel by CNG have been materialized ahead of schedule and diversification in fuel basket has boosted energy security in the country," Salari told the conference.

Referring to Iran as the holder of second biggest CNG burned fleet and third holder of CNG fuel stations in the world, Salari said, "CNG consumption has soared by 5 percent against a year earlier."