Iran's Gas Flaring Losses Equivalent to 40% of Turkey's Gas Consumption

While the Minister of Oil of the Islamic Republic of Iran claims a reduction in gas flaring, new statistics from the World Bank and BP show that Iran's gas losses have reached 21 billion cubic meters. Iran burns this natural resource at the production stage in flares due to the lack of gas collection equipment installed alongside oil extraction from oil fields. World Bank statistics indicate that gas flaring in Iran reached a historic record of 21 billion cubic meters in 2023, which is equivalent to 40% of Turkey's total gas consumption last year. Flaring in Iran showed a 19% increase compared to 2022. BP's statistics released this week also indicate that Iran's greenhouse gas emissions from flaring increased by 19% last year, reaching over 43 million tons. This amount of carbon dioxide and other toxic gas emissions is equivalent to the total greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption in Azerbaijan in 2023. Iran ranks second in the world for gas flaring after Russia. BP's data shows that Iran's total greenhouse gas emissions reached a historic record of 937 million tons in 2023, placing it sixth in the world in this regard. Greenhouse gases are the main cause of air pollution, climate change, and global warming. Iran's total greenhouse gas production has surged by 26% over the past decade. The spike in gas losses in flares comes despite Minister of Oil Javad Owji's claims in mid-June that during the three years of Ebrahim Raisi's government, 11.5 million cubic meters of gas collection capacity had been added daily, reducing gas flaring. Iran's gas losses are not limited to flaring. The International Energy Agency's statistics show that methane emissions (gas leaks) in Iran last year increased by 12% compared to 2022, reaching about 8.5 billion cubic meters. The main cause of this situation is Iran's aging gas transmission and distribution network. Overall, Iran's total gas losses during production, transmission, and distribution last year were about 30 billion cubic meters, which is more than the total gas consumption of Iranian households last year. Due to delays in developing gas fields and severe losses, Iran faces a significant gas shortage in winter, and last year, Iran's gas exports dropped by about a quarter due to the exacerbation of the gas shortage, reaching 14.3 billion cubic meters. Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, former Minister of Oil during Hassan Rouhani's administration, previously stated that Iran only needs $5 billion in investment to prevent gas flaring. The value of the 21 billion cubic meters of gas wasted in flares last year is even greater than the cost Iran needs to eliminate flaring permanently.