Gas flow from Iran to Turkey
has returned to normal after a temporary fall in pressure at a
dispatching station, officials from the two countries say.
"The
gas flow has now reached the contractual volume of 30 million cubic
meters a day after atechnical problem was resolved by the Turkish
side,” dispatching director of the National Iranian Gas Co Manouchehr
Taheri said on Wednesday.
The volume of gas flow fell at 16:00
local time Monday after a turbo-compressor at a gas distribution station
in Turkey faced a technical glitch, the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum’s
Shana news agency quoted him as saying.
Taheri said NIGC
technicians are currently working to boost the gas pressure and
stabilize it.Iran exports gas to Turkey via a2,577 km (1,601 miles)
pipeline runningfrom Tabriz to Ankara.
A Turkish energy official, quoted by Reuters, confirmed gas flows from Iranhad returned to normal.
Some
Turkish media reports had claimed that Iran had halved the volume of
natural gas flows to Turkey.Iran’s embassy officials in Ankara
dismissed the claims as "baseless”, the state news agency IRNA reported.
Turkey is currently locked in a diplomatic dispute with Russia
which provides for 60% of Turkish gas needs. Iran is the second supplier
of gas to Turkey, accounting for 30% of the country’s needs.
Turkish
state pipeline operator Botas has cut gas usage to 50% of capacity at
some power stations to preserve gas for winter amid expectations of
adverse weather conditions, Reuters quoted energy officials as saying
Wednesday.
Turkish leaders have already begun searching for new
energy sources, mindful of serious repercussions if Moscow chose to cut
gas exports to punish Ankara over its downing of a Russian bomber in
Syria.
Turkey is said to be looking at the possibility of boosting
imports from Iran. On Monday, an official dismissed reports that Iran
had ramped up supplies to its northwestern neighbor.
Head of the
gas measuring station on the Bazargan border Sadeq Akbarpour said ran
continues gas exports to Turkey at normal levels.
Iran must supply Turkey with a maximum 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year under a 25-year deal signed in 1996.
Akbarpour
said exports of additional gas are not possible under the existing
contract and the two countries have to sign a new deal for any
increase.
(www.presstv.ir)