Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan’s state energy firm SOCAR intends to build a new pipeline to export gas to neighboring Iran, Vice-President of the state-controlled gas supplier Azerigas has said.
Nazim Samadzada told a news conference Friday that the plan came to the forefront because the current pipeline linking Azerbaijan and Iran is slated for transporting low-pressure gas, which does not allow increasing south-bound exports.
According to him, the 200 km conduit will have a throughput capacity of 18 million cubic meters per day, or 6.57 billion cubic meters per year. Construction of the pipeline, which will be carried out on account of SOCAR’s funds, is due to begin this year and be completed in 2012.
Azerbaijan is currently delivering 1.2-1.3m cubic meters of gas a day to Iran. The neighboring country, in turn, is delivering gas under swapping conditions to Azerbaijan’s enclave of Nakhchivan.
In late February, Azerbaijan will begin selling its gas to Iran, according to the short-term agreement signed by Baku and Tehran. Under the agreement, signed by Azerbaijan’s state energy firm SOCAR and the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), Azerbaijan will deliver 100m cubic meters of gas, or 1.2 – 1.5m cubic meters per day to Iran.
Azerbaijan’s current daily gas exports amount to 4.6m cubic meters, according to energy officials. 1.9m cubic meters of the volume are being supplied to Georgia, a neighboring South Caucasus republic, while 1.5m cubic meters to its northern neighbor Russia, and about 1.2m to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Iran’s territory.*