BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Iran has held talks with a number of European countries regarding the possibility of importing gas through Türkiye, the CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said, Trend reports.
Majid Chegeni, who also serves as Iran's Deputy Oil Minister, noted that Iran has experienced a 16-percent increase in natural gas, and a 22-percent increase in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports since the beginning of the current Iranian year (starting from March 21, 2023).
Commenting on Europe's energy requirements, Chegeni mentioned that European nations have engaged in negotiations with Iran about importing gas via Türkiye, however, these discussions are still ongoing without any concrete outcomes.
Chegeni mentioned that contracts involving neighboring countries, such as the extension of the gas export contract with Iraq, will be finalized soon.
He added that Türkiye is interested in extending its gas contract with Iran, and discussions continue about gas exports to Oman, the revival of the contract with Pakistan, and trade arrangements with Russia.
Regarding a gas swap agreement with Turkmenistan, the CEO of NIGC highlighted that Iran's gas intake from Turkmenistan has risen from 4.5 million cubic meters per day to 8 million cubic meters per day after resolving Iran's debt in three installments.
Earlier, Iranian officials have reported that the country has started producing 10–12 million cubic meters of rich gas per day from the 11th phase of the Iran–Qatar joint South Pars gas field since August 11, 2023.
Iran stands second in the world for gas reserves, with about 34 trillion cubic meters of gas. Reportedly, Iran's gas production capacity is more than 1 billion cubic meters. Iran exports only a small portion of the gas produced in the country, about 6 percent.
