Noting that Turkey is our priority for gas export to Europe, Mr. Sohilipour told Shana news service that regarding Ukraine’s interest to transit Iran’s gas to Europe, the route passing Azerbaijan republic, Georgia and Ukraine could be studied to this end.
On swapping gas with Turkmenistan, Sohilipour said: we are negotiating the country adding that Oman Sea and Persian Gulf region countries plus India and Pakistan are among the countries Iran can transfer Turkmenistan’s gas to them.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian official noted that Iran and Azerbaijan have not experienced any problem to swap gas stating that by holding talks with the Azeri side, it is slated the capacity of the current gas pipeline to be increased to 2.5 million cubic meters per day in the first phase and 5 million cubic meters per day in the second phase.
He continued that based on the latest information, Azerbaijan has started upgrading the gas transit pipeline to boost the exports, so Iran has to improve its infrastructures to receive about 5 million cubic meters per day.
This is while director of the Iran's Eighth Operating Region for Gas Transfer, Valiollah Dini told reporters last week that by launching the Sixth National Network Gas Pipeline, as the second gas export pipeline to Turkey, gas export capacity to the country will rise considerably.
He added that current capacity to transfer gas to Turkey through existing gas pipeline is 30 mcm per day that could be raised to 45 million cubic meters per day.
Also managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) had said on Friday that by construction of a 56 inches gas pipeline over the three next years, Iran will be able to export 50 to 60 million meters of gas per day to Turkey and Europe through pipeline.