October 10-14
Iran’s gas company says the opening of the Shourijeh natural gas storage site in northeastern Iran will lower Iran’s need to import natural gas from Turkmenistan but will not eliminate that need.
Iran has imported considerable gas from Turkmenistan each winter to supply its northern provinces. But the two countries have disputed over price and supply and Turkmenistan has more than once shut of the tap in the middle of the winter, endangering residents.
The Fars news agency last week said Iran has a contract with Turkmenistan calling for it to deliver 40 million cubic meters of gas per day in the cold of winter. But it said Turkmenistan only delivers 23 to 24 million cubic meters a day.
Abdol-Hossain Samari, the director of operations of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) last week told Shana, the Oil Ministry news agency, that contrary to many news reports being carried in Iran the Shourijeh storage site will not end Iran’s dependence on imports from Turkmenistan, but he said it will lower the need considerably. He gave no specific numbers on the continuing need, however.
