SHANA � The latest statistical report by British Petroleum (BP) suggests that by the end of 2017, Iran was ranked third among the world's largest natural gas producers.

According to the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), based on the country's macro policies to increase the share of natural gas in the energy mix of the country due to its numerous advantages such as environmental sustainability, distribution of social justice, etc., Iran as the world's third largest gas producer in recent years has focused on increasing its share of the global gas market.

Based on this policy, the country's gas production capacity has been on the agenda since the 2000s, with the development of the South Pars gas field, which has seen constant production growth ever since.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran�s natural gas production capacity has increased from 89 bcm in 1979 to over 3,754 bcm in 2018.

Regarding the implementation of development plans for gas refinement, provided that all development plans come on-stream by the end of the Sixth Development Plan to 2021, the total NIGC gas refinery capacity would cross 1,200 million cubic meters per day.

The latest BP survey reveals that by the end of 2017, Iran was ranked the third largest natural gas producer in the world with more than 223 billion cubic meters of natural gas, enjoying a 6.1-percent share in the global gas market.