Azerbaijan, Baku, April 2 / Trend, E. Ismayilov /
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) conduct work on the preparation of long-term contract on Azerbaijani gas supplies to Iran, SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev said on Saturday.
He said at present the SOCAR and Iranian specialists are currently continuing talks to supply additional volumes of Azerbaijani gas to Iran. After the completion of talks, the sides will move to the issue of long-term contract.
SOCAR and NIGEC signed an agreement on long-term Azerbaijani gas supplies to Iran in Baku on Jan.12. Under the contract, which concludes after five years, Azerbaijan will supply one billion cubic meters of gas to Iran in 2011 and the volume will increase in the coming years.
The contract was signed by SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and NIGEC General Director Javad Oji.
Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Astara-Bind-Biand gas pipeline with a length of 1,474.5 kilometers, including 296.5 kilometers in Azerbaijan. Its design capacity was 10 billion cubic meters a year and now it is lower. The route is a branch of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran Pipeline commissioned in 1971. Three compressor stations, including in Gazi-Magomed, Aghdash and Gazakh, were built on its route. The transmission system is designed to pressure 55 atmospheres.
The pipe's diameter is 1,200 mm.