DUBAI: Iran plans to increase its production of natural gas to more than 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) a day in the next two and a half years, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of next week's meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Tehran, Zanganeh also said Iran was ready to export gas to neighbouring Iraq.
"According to our plans, in the next two and a half years the country's gas production will increase to more than 1,000 million cubic metres a day," Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry's news agency Shana.
"We are ready to export gas to Iraq ... the total will be more than 50 million cubic metres a day," he added.
Iran's gas production, excluding flared and re-injected gas, more than doubled to 160.5 bcm by 2012 from 75 bcm in 2002.
Iran has huge gas reserves. It exports small quantities to Turkey but has been unable to increase production quickly enough to meet its own demand and northern Iran relies heavily on gas imports from Turkmenistan, especially for heating in winter.
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