Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.24
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran plans to reduce dependency on importing natural gas from Turkmenistan.
Director of Iran's Gas Engineering and Development Company Alireza Gharibi said 10 projects will be inaugurated the next year, including the establishment of gas pressure boost stations and laying a new pipeline in the north of the country, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on September 24.
The current Iranian calendar year began on March 21.
Iran's oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Aug. 11 that Iran does not need to import gas from Turkmenistan.
Iran imports gas from Turkmenistan because the country seeks to expand political and economic relations with that country, Iran's Shana news agency quoted Zanganeh as saying.
Iran plans to increase its gas production by 200 million cubic meters by the end of the next year, he added.
Mohammad-Taqi Amanpour, advisor to the Iranian oil minister, said on August 10 that Iran has purchased €2 billion worth of natural gas from Turkmenistan in recent years.
Iran is willing to pave the way for exporting goods to Turkmenistan in return for importing natural gas from that country, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on May 5.
Iran gets Turkmen gas via several branches. The Korpeje - Kurt-Kui gas pipeline, commissioned in December 1995, is the main one. Its capacity was brought to eight billion cubic meters per year with the potential of increasing the capacity to 14 billion cubic meters. The Iranian National Gas Export Company acts as a gas buyer.
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