​Smartening of gas consumption is a big plan that needs to be implemented with the integrated cooperation of different and related sectors.
The puzzle of this cooperation will start from the Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company and its scope will go up to the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), the Ministry of Petroleum and higher & equal institutions.
This issue is one of the priority plans of the gas industry that will help to control abnormal consumption in the peak of cold and can optimize consumption by relying on regulatory mechanisms.
After storage, the issue of intelligent consumption is on the agenda of this company. In the smart consumption super project, it is supposed that the consumption of all major, non-major industries, as well as domestic and commercial, will become smart at the final point; In this way, at any moment, the consumer and the NIGC can know how much the consumption will be at each point, each region and each neighborhood, how much gas each subscriber consumes and at higher levels, artificial intelligence, better analyzes and outputs, can be added to this service.
One of the advantages of this plan is to help identify high-consumption subscribers during peak consumption, which can inform and warn them at any moment. Low consumption and high consumption include domestic, commercial and industrial customers.
This is a mega project and Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company is able to complete it in 4 years if there are no financial restrictions, of course with prioritization; For example, smartening the consumption of cold regions and industries that have a high consumption due to their geography, we will do this and then will go to the next priorities ...
Regarding the equipment and technology required to implement this project, I must explain that so far, we had ordinary, simple non-smart meters in the country. We are now in the study and design phase. It is a combination of import and domestic production. On the other hand, there are productive and capable companies that can answer our technical needs with skill.
If this happens, we will definitely not import a single meter, but if it is necessary to import, it will be on the condition of technology transfer; of course, we have already benefited from the discussion of technology transfer.
It means, for example, to import 100,000 meters, but we also have to transfer and internalize its technology, which, of course, the gas engineering and development company has a long history in the field of technology transfer and internalization. In fact, the knowledge of technology transfer has penetrated well in this company.
From the point of view of national interest and also with regard to security issues, the smart network, which includes telecommunications, information transfer, platform and artificial intelligence, will definitely be internal, and I must say that the ability to internalize in the country, especially in the field of IT, is very high.
In fact, we have the ability to produce information transmission media, analysis platform, and most importantly, artificial intelligence that is supposed to monitor and check information and intelligently manage this network.
Currently, manufacturing companies have been identified in the country. So, we have to rely on them. To this day, in the field of internalization, everything we wanted was "achieved to the best of our ability"...
The mechanism of smart gas distribution network is very complicated and, in this way, we have different options. We would like to use the fiber optic network that exists in the country, which has various technologies in this direction.
For example, the electricity challenge in the gas meter is a technical challenge which is so creativity and innovation. Today, all the proposed options for the start of intelligentization are on the table and have not yet reached the selection stage, but we hope to determine the specifications of the meter, media and platform at the end of this year and start implementing it.
Support for companies in localization and reverse engineering is from zero to 100. It means that we have or will create the capability of all matters from feasibility study, basic design, detailed design, purchase and supply of goods, implementation, installation and commissioning.
On the other hand, in the necessity of exporting services and technical knowledge, we must pay attention to the fact that when we buy a product from a company, we will be dependent on that company until we dispose of that product. Therefore, when we install an Iranian pump in a foreign country, a connection will be established between the manufacturer and the final consumer, which will spread the communication and knowledge of manufacturing goods.
The clear explanation of this talk is that when a country like Venezuela is sanctioned, its oil production goes from 4.5 million barrels to 700,000 to 800,000 barrels per day. But for example, our gas production increased from 400 million to 1000 million cubic meters per day after the embargo.
Our difference is that we cut off our dependencies and focused on empowering ourselves. If we can export our product and also install it in international facilities, they will automatically have no choice but to communicate with us, and on the other hand, domestic companies will also learn global communication, and it will make a valuable resume for them that they can easily participate in global tenders.
It means that a general ascension will happen. We are growing tall and growing, both consulting engineers, contractors, and etc., that's why we named it as a dream… It is very distant, difficult and unattainable goal, but it is feasible.

Reza Noshadi
Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company