SOCAR: Gas supplies to Nakhchivan to be carried out under agreement with Turkmenistan

The gas to be transported to Azerbaijan has been supplied to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic since the beginning of the year, according to the agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, Ibrahim Ahmadov, deputy head of the Public Relations and Events Department of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), told Report.

According to him, since the beginning of the year, the gas to be transported to Azerbaijan under this agreement has already been delivered:

"The gas is transported to the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic."

He said that the remaining volume of gas will be received near Astara.

"Technical preparations are underway with the help of the delegation from Iran. According to the agreement, more than 4 million cubic meters of natural gas will be transported to Azerbaijan every day (in both directions)."

About 20-30% of the total gas purchased from Turkmenistan will be taken by Iran as a swap fee, and the rest will be supplied to Azerbaijan. According to the Iranian Oil Ministry, under the agreement, which provides for the exchange of up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, Turkmenistan will supply 5-6 million cubic meters of gas per day to Azerbaijan.

The gas agreement was signed by the oil industry ministers on November 30, after getting support of the presidents of the three Caspian littoral states during the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) on November 28, 2021, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Under the swap agreement, Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan and deliver the equivalent amount to Azerbaijan at the Astara border, excluding the swap fee. In line with the document, Iran will meet the needs of its northern provinces with gas from Turkmenistan.

Iran has large natural gas fields in the south. Still, the country has been importing gas from Turkmenistan since 1997, especially during the winter months, to supply gas to the northern provinces.

Experts believe that the implementation of this agreement may encourage other countries in the region to sign similar contracts and use Iran's opportunities in this regard.

Iran, which has the largest high-pressure gas pipeline network after Russia, could play a key role in transporting gas from eastern Iran to the west and neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan.

This agreement is also a big step for Iran, as it will provide a stable gas supply to the north-eastern regions of the country, far from natural gas sources.

Iran's gas reserves are 34 trillion cubic meters.