Iran President: Gas Output Of South Pars Field To Double

Qom, Jan 6, IRNA -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that gas output of South Pars field, which is shared with Qatar, will double by the end of the 10th government's tenure. Addressing the ceremony to inaugurate the biggest gas reservoir in the Middle East in Qom, he added that since all economic sections need energy, it should be available at a suitable price. Stating that Iran holds one of the biggest part of world's energy reserves, Ahmadinejad said that development of gas network is one of the main infrastructural projects undertaken in different parts of the country. Energy is essential for making progress, he went on to say. Some 926 small and big cities and 14,000 villages in Iran enjoy city gas networks, he said, noting that in fact 96 percent of urban families and 55 percent of rural population currently use natural gas./end