Tehran Times, Iran
May 11 2009
Iran to start piping gas to Armenia this week
Tehran Times Political Desk
TEHRAN — National Iranian Gas Export Company Managing Director Seyyed
Reza Kasaiizadeh announced on Sunday that Iran will start shipments of
natural gas to Armenia this week.
Kasaiizadeh told PIN that he would be leaving for Armenia
today/tomorrow at the head of a delegation to attend the opening
ceremony for the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
According to the deal signed in May 2004, Armenia will pay for the gas
with electricity it produces at a Soviet-era nuclear power plant.
The NIGEC managing director said the pipeline has a diameter of 30
inches and runs for 113 kilometers from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan
Province to the Iran-Armenia border.
The two countries had originally agreed to finalize the project in
January 2007, but the Armenians later said they were not ready,
Kasaiizadeh added.
He explained that the volume of gas exports could rise to 4 million
cubic meters a day in 2011 and to 6.3 million cubic meters a day
afterwards.
Kasaiizadeh stated that Armenia has expressed its readiness to receive
Iranian gas, and added, â??One of the main goals of the trip
is to finalize the export of gas to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress