Regional Perspectives

E. Salehi, APED Engineering Consultants, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Iran has the world’s largest proven natural gas reserves at 1,201 Tcf, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy,1 and it is the fourth-largest natural gas producer in the world. However, it exports only small amounts of natural gas to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey—approximately 9 Bcmy. Potential exists for Iran to export approximately 30 Bcmy to the EU over the long term with the development of LNG facilities. Iran has so far prioritized its gas allocation to satisfy domestic demand for heat, power and industry use, and for reinjection to aging oil fields to maintain production. With new phases of the giant Sout