Iranian Gas Export to Basra Soon

EghtesadOnline: Iran will be ready in a month to start supplying 5 million cubic meters of natural gas per day through a pipeline to the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the planning director of National Iranian Gas Company said on Sunday.

News ID: ۷۷۸۸۴۲

28 August 2017

“According to plans, the country has established the infrastructure for gas export to Basra, which mainly include a pipeline stretching from Ahvaz, the provincial capital of Khuzestan, to Khorramshahr and then to the border with Iraq,” Mohammad Reza Qodsizadeh was also quoted as saying by Shana.

Stressing that Iran’s annual gas exports are planned to reach 68 billion cubic meters in the next five years, Qodsizadeh said the country started the export of 7 mcm/d of gas to Iraq in June, which is slated to reach 14 mcm/d by the end of the current fiscal year (March 2018).

There are two routes for gas export to Iraq: a pipeline that stretches into Baghdad through the city of Naft Shahr (Kermanshah Province) and a second pipeline that goes to Basra, according to Financial Tribune.

Turkey is the biggest customer of Iranian gas, taking in about 10 billion cubic meters of gas annually. But Iran looks to diversify its gas market in the region.

“Iran has laid 900 kilometers of gas pipeline from Asalouyeh in the southern Bushehr Province, to Iranshahr and then to Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan in southeast Iran. However, it has not started establishing a 160-km gas delivery line to the border with Pakistan, as Islamabad has not developed the pipeline on its own territory,” Qodsizadeh said.

The official said NIGC is constructing a gas pipeline from Iranshahr to the port city of Chabahar to provide power plants as well as petrochemical and steel plans with feedstock.

“Iran will complete the gas transfer line from Chabahar to the Pakistani borders once the eastern neighbor starts operations on its territory," he said.

On gas exports to Afghanistan, he noted that the country’s private sector has recently expressed willingness to receive Iranian natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.

Qodsizadeh noted that deliveries to Herat via pipeline are feasible, as the infrastructure is largely in place.

Iran (34 trillion cubic meters) and Russia (32.6 tcm) hold the largest proven gas reserves, according to BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The former aims to raise output to over 1 billion cubic meters by March from around 880 mcm/d.