Official: Pipeline taking Iran's gas to Iraq ready in 20 days

Baku. 3 August. REPORT.AZ/ Managing director of the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company says a pipeline that will take Iran's gas to Iraq will become operational before the end of the current Iranian month (ends August 22).

Report informs citing Iranian media, Alireza Gharibi was quoted by the Oil Ministry's official SHANA news agency as saying that testing 100 kilometers of the pipeline has come to an end and the pipeline will be ready to transfer Iran's natural gas to its western neighbor in 20 days.

“At present, we are discharging water from the pipeline and after a few final tests, which will take to the end of this month, the pipeline will be ready for exports,” he added.

Gharibi stated that in the first phase of its operations, the pipeline will take a daily total of 5 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas to Iraq and the figure will rise after completion of the Sixth Iranian Gas Trunkline (IGAT-6).

“When the second section of the Sixth Iranian Gas Trunkline is completed by the end of the current [Iranian] year (ends on March 19, 2016) … it will be possible to export as much as 25 mcm of gas per day to Iraq,” he added.