Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.08 / Trend , E.Ismayilov /
A long-term contract on Azerbaijani gas supplies to Iran can be signed between SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) and the National Iranian Gas Export Company next week, said SOCAR's top official said today.
According to SOCAR's representative, Iranian Gas Company's leadership is expected to visit Baku next week. The contract can be signed within the visit.
"Now we expect, Iranian Gas Export Company to visit next week and the contract can be signed during this visit," he noted.
As SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev said earlier implementing of large-scale gas supply will be possible only after the modernization of existing gas infrastructure between countries, as well as in accordance with the demand for fuel in Iran and Azerbaijan's capabilities. Modernization of gas infrastructure that exists between Azerbaijan and Iran, will allow supplying about 5 million cubic meters of the Azerbaijani gas per day (about 1.8 billion cubic meters per year) to Iran. Now the infrastructure allows delivering about 500 million cubic meters of gas per year.
Dec.15, SOCAR and the National Iranian Gas Export Company signed an agreement for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to the northern provinces of Iran during the winter and an agreement on confidentiality, to hold negotiations on five-year contract (with possibility of extension) for the supply of Azerbaijani gas.
Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Bagher Bahrami said earlier that Iran intends to purchase about 5 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Kazi-Magomed-Astara pipeline gas pipeline. Its length is 1.474.5 kilometers, including the territory of Azerbaijan - 296.5 kilometers. Its capacity is 10 billion cubic meters per year. This route is a branch of the pipeline Gazakh-Astara-Iran, put into operation in 1971. Three compressor stations in Kazi-Magomed, Agdash and Gazakh have been built. The gas transportation system is 55 atmospheres. Pipe diameter is 1,200 mm.