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Turkmenistan halves gas exports to Iran

06 February 2012 11:37 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA-Economics. The Turkmen Gas Company has reduced to half its natural gas exports to Iran through Dowlatabad-Sarakhs gas pipeline without prior notice, Press TV reported.

An unnamed gas industry official was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying on Sunday that the Turkmen Gas Company may further decrease gas exports to Iran, though it has given no clear reason for the reduction.

Meanwhile, Iran’s deputy oil minister and managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Javad Oji said on Sunday that extremely cold weather in Central Asia is the main reason for the reduction of the companyâ€™s gas exports to Iran.

The official added that despite sharp reduction in Turkmen gas exports, no Iranian city or village has so far experienced disruption in gas supply.

Oji said domestic gas consumption in Iran has hit a new record in recent days and reached 551 million cubic meters per day with 440 million cubic meters per day consumed by houses, businesses and small industries.

Dowlatabad-Sarakhs gas pipeline was officially inaugurated last winter to increase Iran’s gas imports from Turkmenistan to 14 billion cubic meters per year. Iran started importing gas from Turkmenistan in 1995 after the two sides signed a 25-year contract.

The contract has bound Turkmenistan to gradually increase gas exports to Iran to 8 billion cubic meters per year at a fixed price.

Iran ranks the second in the world in natural gas reserves after Russia with available gas reserves estimated at over 33 trillion cubic meters.

The country distributes the gas it imports from Turkmenistan to its northeastern provinces, which are distant from Iran’s southern gas-rich regions.

Qeyd edÉ™k ki, Ä°ran vÉ™ TÃ¼rkmÉ™nistanÄ± iki qaz kÉ™mÉ™ri birlÉ™ÅŸdirir. OnlarÄ±n sutkalÄ±q gÃ¼cÃ¼ 50 mln. kubmetr tÉ™ÅŸkil edir. TÃ¼rkmÉ™nistan ildÉ™ 80 mlrd. kubmetr tÉ™bii qaz hasil edÉ™rÉ™k Ä°ran, Rusiya vÉ™ Ã‡inÉ™ ixrac edir.