Iran ready to transit Turkmen gas to Persian Gulf states

Iran is ready to transit natural gas from Turkmenistan to the Persian Gulf Arab states, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company announced on Tuesday.

Hamidreza Araqi added that the country has developed three plans to increase its share in the global gas trade, the Mehr News Agency reported.

He referred to India, China, and Turkey as the most favorable markets for Iranian gas.

He further said that the country has defined new routes to boost gas exports to Europe.

In January, the Iranian deputy oil minister for planning affairs said Iran forecasts a big jump in its natural gas exports in the Iranian year 1394 (March 2015-March 2016).

Mansour Moazzami told IRNA that a number of prioritized gas projects will come on stream in the next Iranian calendar year 1393 (March 2014-March 2015), including five phases of the South Pars gas field development plan.
In May 2013, the former managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company, Javad Owji, said Iran’s gas export revenues is projected to hit $10 billion, from currently $3.5 billion, in the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 21, 2014.

Iran will “witness a change in the revenues of the country from crude oil to natural gas,” Owji said.

He pointed to the country’s goal to triple gas shipments to some of its neighbors, saying, “By signing new deals with Turkey and Iraq, Iran will increase natural gas exports to about 100 million cubic meters by next year from a current 35 million.”

In April 2013, IRNA quoted Owji as saying that Iran exported 8.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas, worth $3.5 billion, in the past Iranian calendar year.

He also said that the country imported 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas, worth $1.8 billion, last year.

Gas imports dropped by 50 percent year on year, he noted.