Payvand, Iran
Dec 16 2006

Iran to start gas transfers to Armenia in Jan 2007

Tehran, Dec 16, IRNA-Iran is to begin piping gas to Armenia in
January 2007, the executor of the gas pipeline project of Iran’s Gas
Engineering and Development Company, Mohammad-Reza Lorzadeh, said on
Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, he said the pipeline will be inaugurated in
January 2007, putting into effect an agreement already reached
between Iranian and Armenian officials to reduce time needed for
implementation of the project from 930 days to 650 days.

He added that although the 650-day deadline has still to be reached,
the project is nearly 96 percent implemented.

He said the first shipment of the pipes imported for the project
arrived in Iran in September 2005.

The official placed the total value of the project at Rls 550-600
billion.

The pipeline agreement, signed between Armenia and the Iranian
company `Payandan’, stipulated that the project was to be implemented
on an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis, he said.

The agreement further stipulated that the gas pipeline was to be
implemented through two projects in Iran — the first requiring
construction of a pipeline from the northwestern city of Tabriz to
Aras River on the border of Iran and Armenia and the second
construction of a pipeline beneath the Aras River coastline.

He further said the pipeline would have a total length of 115
kilometers.

Completion of the project will enable Iran to export three million
cubic meters of gas to Armenia per day.

Lorzadeh said the project was aimed at opening a gateway for export
of Iranian gas to Europe.