Iran-Turkmenistan Accord to start a New Gas Pipeline

On 05 January 2010, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad during his visit to Turkey signed an agreement with his Turkmenistan counterpart Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to start a new gas pipeline to Iran.

•The gas pipeline deal will increase gas sales from Turkmenistan to Iran from 8 billion cubic metres a year to 12.5 billion cubic metres.
•The new pipeline is 31- km long and it will originate from Dovletebad gas-field in southeastern Turkmenistan that is close to the Iranian border.
•The pipeline is second in a row after the existing Korpezhe-Kurt-Kui Pipeline between Iran and Turkmenistan.

In addition to Iran, Turkmenistan also started a new gas pipeline to China in November 2010.The pipeline will supply 40 million cubic metres a year to China. Besides, Iran struck a deal with Russia to supply 30 million cubic metres of gas to latter.

European Union’s hopes to establish a trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been dashed following the above deals.

Trans-Caspian gas pipeline is a proposed submarine pipeline between Turkmenbasy in Turkmenistan and Baku in Azerbaijan. The pipeline also connects Tengiz-Field in Kazakhstan and it will transport natural gas from Kazakhstan andTurkmenistan to central Europe, passing through both Russia and Iran.

Now after striking the gas pipeline deal with Iran and China, Turkmenistan may no longer, want to be part of trans-Caspian gas pipeline project.