Iran has begun the shipment of excess natural gas deliveries as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

According to the export-import director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC), Esmaeel Hasham Firouz, the country exported more than 127,000 tons of LNG in 2015 and that will increase this year.

Iran has the world’s second largest proven gas reserves after Russia, with a potential to become a top producer.In the past years, the country has been making efforts to have a bigger share of the LNG market but had been pushed side due to sanctions.The National Iranian Gas Exports Company (NIGEC) had for a while been in talks with some international companies to assist in developing the country’s LNG sector.The projects was granted to Shell, Repsol and  Total to produce 40 million metric tons of LNG per year for exports, but the three had abandoned the project in 2011 when Iran was placed under sanctions, Tasnim news reports.

A member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iran's oil exports were badly hurt by the Western sanctions and since it was lifted in January, the country has been determined to construct its exports back up, making a cooperation with Saudi Arabia almost impossible.“Currently, Iran's crude oil exports, excluding gas condensates, have reached 2 million barrels per day (bpd). Iran's crude oil export capacity will reach 2.2 million barrels by the middle of summer,” Rokneddin Javadi, Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister said.

He added that the country has no plans to freeze the level of its oil production and exports as it is trying to increase its crude exports to pre-sanctions levels.

Anita Fatunji