NEW SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE TO BE READY BY 2009

Interfax News Agency, Russia
September 27, 2007 Thursday 5:52 PM MSK

Armenia’s government has announced it has postponed the deadline
for completing the construction of a new section of the Iran-Armenia
natural gas pipeline meant to connect the Armenian towns of Kajaran
and Ararat from the end of 2008 to January 2009.

The section will allow to increase the pipeline’s capacity to 2.3
billion cubic meters per year from today’s 450 million cubic meters.

Iran has pledged to supply Armenia with 1.1 billion cubic meters
of gas a year beginning form 2009 and with up to 2.3 billion cubic
meters as from 2019. Armenia is to provide Iran with 3 kilowatt-hours
of electricity for each cubic meter of gas.

The Kajaran-Ararat section will be 197.4 kilometers long and, with
its security zones, occupy a total area of 987 hectares.

The ArmRosgazprom company is the general contractor for the section’s
construction.