TEHRAN, April 05 (Shana) �- National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) delivered over 58 bcm of gas to power plants during last Iranian calendar year which ended on March 19, setting a new record in the sector.

An official with NIGC, Naser Ebrahimi, told Shana that the amount was up 15.6% year-on-year from 50bcm in the previous year.

He said the amount has supplied 80% of the power plants' need for fuel during the past year.

On average, NIGC delivered 158mcm/d of gas to power plants across the country while the amount was 137mcm/d for the previous calendar year, Ebrahimi added.

Iran is seeking to replace gas with liquid fuels for generation of power given the former's abundance and cleanness when compared with liquid fuels.

Furthermore, Iran consumed 247.3mcm of gas in household, trade and small industrial sectors, he added.

By SHANA