Tehran Times � National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Dispatching Director Mehdi Jamshidi Dana, said the country�s daily gas production has reached 810 million cubic meters (mcm), Shana reported on Sunday.

According to Jamshidi, currently with over 39,000 kilometers of high pressure gas pipelines, 82 gas pressure boosting stations, 296 turbo-compressors and other gas facilities, Iranian gas network is Asia�s biggest and the world's fourth largest network in terms of facilities.

The official noted that gas supply chain is comprised of three main sections of production, transmission and distribution, adding that uninterrupted supply of gas requires operational coordination between these three sections and that is the main responsibility of NIGC�s dispatching center.

In January, the NIGC�s managing director had announced that daily production of gas in the country reached 800 mcm.

Hassan Montazer Torbati also said that of the total produced gas, some 25 percent goes to household consumption, 37 percent is supplied to the power plants, 30 percent is used in the industry sector, four percent used as CNG and four percent is for other consumptions.

The official noted that household subscribers used about 90 percent of the gas produced in the country some years ago, but in the recent years, especially since the Iranian calendar year 1380 (March 2001-March 2002) while most areas of Iran have been supplied with the natural gas, the country has turned some part of its approach in gas sector toward exports and also supplying feedstock to the petrochemical units.

According to the official 93.6 percent of Iran�s population enjoy natural gas. Gas is supplied to 97 percent of people in the urban areas and 82 percent of people in the rural regions.