IRAN BEGINS GAS EXPORTS TO ARMENIA
Press TV
May 13 2009
Iran
Kasaizadeh says Iran’s gas exports to Armenia will ultimately reach
6.3 million cubic meters a day.
Iran has officially begun gas exports to Armenia, initially pumping
two million cubic meters of gas per day to its northwestern neighbor.
The 113-km (71-mile) pipeline, which runs from the northwestern
Iranian city of Tabriz to the Iran-Armenia border, was inaugurated on
Wednesday, said National Iranian Gas Export Company Managing Director,
Seyyed Reza Kasaizadeh.
Lusine Harutiunian, an Armenian Energy Ministry spokesman, confirmed
that natural gas deliveries from Iran had begun.
Kasaizadeh said under the 20-year contract, originally signed in 2004,
the volume of Iran’s gas exports to Armenia could reach 4 million
cubic meters per day in 2011 and then gradually rise to 6.3 million
cubic meters per day.
Iran’s gas exports to Armenia were due to begin in 2007, but Armenia
requested a delay, saying Yerevan was not ready to distribute the
gas it was to receive under the contract.
Armenia will use Iranian gas for generating electricity which will be
partially returned to the Islamic Republic in payment for gas imports.
The two countries are due to build a third high-voltage power
transmission line linking their power grids for this purpose.