IRAN, IRAQ, SYRIA TO SIGN $6 BILLION PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 11, 2011 – 19:01 AMT
Iran will soon sign a contract with political allies Syria and Iraq
to export its natural gas to the Mediterranean region.
Iranian and Syrian oil ministers said in January their countries
planned to build a gas pipeline with the cooperation of Iraq to widen
export options for regional energy players but that the pipeline was
still at the idea stage.
“A trilateral agreement between the three countries on the transit of
gas has been reached … The first official contract is ready to be
signed soon,” Javad Oji, head of the National Iranian Gas Co. (NIGC),
was quoted as saying.
“We plan to transit gas from the South Pars field through Iraq, Syrian
and then Lebanon to the Mediterranean area and Europe,” Oji added.
Oji said up to $6 billion was needed to build the 56-inch pipeline and
that it would have the capacity to transfer 110 million cubic metres of
gas per day, Reuters reported, citing semi-official Mehr news agency.