TEHRAN, Iran, Dec.3
Trend:
Iran, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan gas swap deal is a win-win deal, as it's very economically beneficial for Iran to supply gas to its northeastern provinces, said an analyst at the Institute for International Energy Studies (IIES) Mahdiyeh Abolhassani Chimeh, Trend reports via ILNA.
"The need for gas consumption in Iran increases in winter and this puts pressure on gas networks, therefore the gas swap deal would help a sustainable gas supply to the northeast of Iran, she said.
Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have signed a gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year. Under the swap deal, Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan and deliver an equivalent amount to Azerbaijan at the Astara border.
"Turkmenistan has two gas pipelines for exporting gas to Iran and considering the gas shortage and challenges of supplying feed to power plants, the amount of gas swap from Turkmenistan might not be sufficient enough for the needs of Mashhad or Neka power plants," she explained.
Iran has major natural gas fields in the south, but has been importing gas from Turkmenistan since 1997 for distribution in its northern provinces, especially during the winter months.