OREANDA-NEWS. June 21, 2010. Turkmenistan and Iran agreed to further increase Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ exports. It is stipulated by the supplement agreement to the continuing contract on ‘blue fuel’ supplies from Turkmenistan signed recently by the Turkmengaz State Concern and the National Iranian Gas Company. For this purpose Turkmen and Iranian experts will jointly draft the contract for supplying additional amounts of Turkmen natural gas to Iran.

The recent meeting between President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the high-ranking officials of the IRI Oil Ministry and the National Iranian Gas Company gave a powerful impetus to develop of Turkmen-Iranian gas cooperation. As was reported, the mutual readiness of Turkmenistan and Iran to maintain mutually advantageous cooperation in the oil and gas sector where the sides had accumulated the profound experience of collaboration was stated during the talks at the top level. The talks resulted in signing the Agreement between the gas companies of the two countries stipulating for a further increase in the supplies of Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ to the neighbouring country. In accordance with this agreement an additional amount of natural gas will be supplied via the second gas pipeline recently put into operation Dovletabad-Serahs-Hangeran gas pipeline to Iranian consumers.

As is known, the project on construction of the second gas pipeline to Iran was initiated by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov last July. Turkmenistan and Iran agreed that Turkmenistan would increase natural gas exports to the neighbouring country from 8 to 14 billion cubic meters starting from 2010 and up to 20 million cubic metres a year in the future.

For this purpose the Turkmen fuel and energy subdivisions of Turkmenistan built the 30.5-km Dovletabad-Serahs-Hangeran gas pipeline with the daily capacity of 12.5 billion cubic metres towards Iran in the southeast of the country in the shortest period of time. This January the leaders of the two countries attended the ceremony of commissioning the new gas pipeline that started to supply ‘blue fuel’ to the neighbouring country.

A powerful resource and infrastructure potential of the Dovletabad deposit, one of the largest fields in Turkmenistan was engaged in transporting gas via this pipeline. The Korpedje-Gurtguyi supplies natural gas to Iran from a number of gas deposits in the western region of Turkmenistan including the Kopedje large field.

Together with the Korpeje-Gurtguyi gas pipeline operating for several years the Dovletabad-Serahs-Hangeran gas pipeline will supply up to 20 billion cubic metres of ‘blue fuel’ each year to Iran in the near future.

Thus, the gas-main pipelines supplying Turkmen natural gas to Iran designed to ensure long-term gas exports enable Turkmenistan to enhance its gas export potential that will substantially contribute to implementing the national gas strategy aimed at stable and reliable transit of energy to world markets to achieve global energy security.