Azerbaijan, Baku, June 1 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) plans to continue negotiations with the Iranian side to sign long-term contract on supplies of Azerbaijani gas to Iran in late August, SOCAR Head Rovnag Abdullayev said today.
Abdullayev said a long-term contract has not been signed yet, as the work on the infrastructure for the supply of Azerbajani gas to Iran has not been completed. But, the work in this direction is underway, particularly, the construction of compressor stations has already been started.
"We will sign the contract, when we will get the schedule on completion of the work, which fully guaranteed the possibility of starting deliveries in late September," Abdullayev said.
According to him, long-term contract to supply is not signed up to the completion of this infrastructure, because the contract under take or pay terms will result in sanctions.
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.
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).
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