Tehran, Iran, Aug. 9
By Dalga Khatinoglu, Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Iran’s second gas supply route to Iraq, the Iran-Basra pipeline, will be ready for operation in one year, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International and Trade Affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia said.
The first pipeline, from Iran to Baghdad, is ready now and Tehran is prepared to start transferring gas to Iraq whenever Iraq requires so, he told Trend Aug. 9.
Iran has two gas contracts with Iraq, each comprising 25 million cubic meters of gas per day.
Iranian officials recently announced that the country would start sending gas to Iraq in August.
This will come at 5 to 7 million cubic meters per day, which will gradually grow to 25 million cubic meters per day in a number of years. To be able to actualize a gas supply of 50 million cubic meters per day to Iraq, Iran would need to complete its sixth cross-country pipeline.
Zamaninia also pointed out that of the seventh cross-country pipeline that will go to Pakistan, less than 200 kilometers remain to be completed. According to an agreement, Pakistan would have started importing 22 million cubic meters per day of gas from Iran by 2015, but it has failed to build the part of the pipeline that falls in its territory.
The deputy minister said Islamabad has expressed its willingness to import gas from Iran and stated that it is in talks with China to help build the pipeline.
Iran will definitely complete the seventh cross-country pipeline even if it is going to serve only the supply of Chabahar zone in southeastern Iran, the official stated.
On gas export to Oman, Zamaninia said preliminary studies on stretching a pipeline at the seafloor have been carried out and will be completed in two months.
He said the pipeline will measure 200 kilometers in length and will cost $1.5 to $2 billion.
Iran has signed an agreement to export 27 million cubic meters of gas per day to Oman.