BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 22
By Amina Nazarli - Trend:
Iran will swap Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan starting January 1, 2022, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Ovji told the Tasnim News Agency, Trend reports.
Ovji has revealed some of the technical details of the trilateral gas swap agreement.
“The annual gas swap deal covers 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Given the swap of gas from Turkmenistan to its destination in Azerbaijan, we can use this opportunity to help stabilize natural gas supplies to Iran's northern provinces throughout the winter season,” he said.
Iran’s north and northeast provinces are located at the end of Iran's gas network, where gas pressure drops down, thus increasing consumption there during cold months. The contract between Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan can prevent a drop in gas pressure in these regions of Iran. Due to low gas pressure, the mentioned alternative way is the best option for Iran to supply gas to the mentioned regions.
On November 28, 2021, a tripartite contract on the swapping of 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan through Iran per year was signed between Iran and Azerbaijan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). According to the contract, daily 5-6 million cubic meters of gas will be swapped.