Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 12 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) intends to build a new pipeline to export gas to Iran, Azerigas PU First Deputy Nazim Samadzade said.
"Presently, work on a new Sangachal-Azadkend-Astara pipeline is underway," he said. "It is expected that construction of the new pipeline will begin in 2010."
According to him, the capacity of the new pipeline, 200-kilometer long, will be 18 million cubic meters of gas (6.57 billion cubic meters per year). The decision to build a new pipeline was made because the existing pipeline connecting Azerbaijan and Iran makes it impossible to increase gas exports to the South.
Construction is expected to end in 2012 and it will be financed by SOCAR.
Currently, daily volume of Azerbaijani gas transported to Iran is 1.2-1.3 million cubic meters.
Commercial export of Azerbaijani gas to Iran will start in late February.
Along with gas intended for the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, total transfers to Iran will amount to 2.6-2.7 million cubic meters per day.
SOCAR and NIGEC signed a short-term contract for gas supplies to Iran in January. The contract envisages supplying Azerbaijani gas to Iran until March-April of 2010; totaling about 100 million cubic meters (1.2 million cubic meters of gas per day). Supplies will be delivered to the northern Iranian regions, which are isolated from the main gas fields.
Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Gazi-Magomed-Astara-Bind-Biand gas pipeline, 1,474.5-kilometers long. Its capacity was 10 billion cubic meters a year, but now it is lower.
This route is a branch of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran pipeline commissioned in 1971. Three compressor stations -- Gazi-Magomed, Aghdash and Gazakh -- were built.
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