WE CAN KEEP GAS IF PRICE IS NOT RIGHT, IRAN TELLS CRESCENT
Gulf Times
30 September, 2008, 12:32
Qatar
TEHRAN: Iran has said it would sell gas to Crescent Petroleum of
the UAE if the price previously agreed was raised but is building
facilities so it could use the fuel at home if not.
Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari also told Fars News Agency a
Pakistani team would visit Iran in days for talks on another gas
export project that has been under discussion for years.
Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, has been slow to develop
gas exports despite huge reserves partly because US sanctions have
hindered the building of plants to make liquefied natural gas (LNG)
for shipment. Iran now relies on pipelines.
Asked about the Crescent deal, the minister said:"If the price in this
contract is corrected the export of gas will go through, otherwise
the gas from the Siri region will be transferred via a 32-inch,
270km long pipeline under construction now from Assalouyeh to the
country’s interior."
Siri is an offshore area of the Gulf near the Salman gas field that
will supply Crescent if a deal is agreed. Assalouyeh is capital of
Iran’s gas industry on the Gulf coast.
The Crescent deal was initially signed in 2001 but hydrocarbon prices
have soared since then.
Pricing has also delayed a deal to build a gas pipeline to Pakistan
and on to India, although testy relations between the Pakistani and
Indian governments have also held up talks.
"In the course of the next two days a Pakistani team will come to
Tehran to follow up on negotiations," Nozari said.
"Iran’s proposal in the … pipeline is attaining a formula wherein
the final sale price to Pakistan would be set a year before delivery,"
he added.
Iran exports gas to Turkey and has a deal to sell 3mn cu m of gas
per day to neighbouring Armenia in return for electricity. An Iranian
official said this year the Armenian deal would come into effect in
October but said this depended on Armenia. – Reuters