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Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline project has no chance for implementation

Oil&Gas Materials 25 July 2011 18:15 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 25 /Trend, V.Zhavoronkova/

The gas pipeline designed to transport Iranian gas to Europe has no chance for realization. Its agreement on the construction was signed on Monday, the Director of the Russia-Eurasia Center of the Council on Foreign Policy of Germany, Trend Expert Council Member Alexandr Rahr said.

"I think that no one will support this project either politically or financially," Rahr told Trend over phone from Berlin. "It will have its natural end."

Oil ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria signed an agreement in the Iranian city Asalue on Monday to construct the 5,000-kilometer-gas pipeline to supply Iranian natural gas to Europe.

The gas pipeline is planned to be constructed from the Iranian region Asalue through the Khuzestan province to the Iran-Iraq border and Syria, through Lebanon and the Mediterranean to Europe.

It is assumed that the capacity of the gas pipeline will hit 110 million cubic meters daily.

The agreement, providing not only gas transit to Europe, but also to Iraq and Syria, will be finalized before the end of this year. The project will be implemented within five years.

Rahr said that the implementation of this gas pipeline is unreal, as its participants, namely Iran and Syria are politically and economically isolated countries.

"I can not imagine that someone will encourage the project today and compete with Nabucco," the expert said.

"Nabucco" refers to the "Southern Corridor" projects, which is one of the priority energy projects for the EU.

It aims to diversify routes and sources of supply and thereby increase the energy security of the EU. In addition to Nabucco project, the Southern Corridor gas pipeline includes Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline).

The expert said that if Iran had good relations with the West and there was not any nuclear program, the country would be connected to power grids and energy alliance around the Caspian Sea.

At present, signing of this agreement may lead to nothing, the analyst said.

"So, I think that this is another myth in the big game around oil and gas transportation from East to West," Rahr said.

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