Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari told a group of reporters in Ankara on Wednesday that his country and Turkey have plans to continue deliberations on reaching an energy agreement.
Expressing the hope that an agreement will soon be concluded, the Iranian minister said the two neighbors were poised to eliminate energy trade problems.
Nozari said deliberations would be held in Tehran in the coming weeks on the management of natural gas areas in South Pars and the transport of Iranian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.
The South Pars energy field is a gas condensate field located in the Persian Gulf. It is the largest gas field in the world, shared between Iran and Qatar.
In July 2007 Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to transport Iranian natural gas to Europe via Turkey, Turkmen natural gas to Europe via Iran and Turkey, and to boost cooperation in oil trade.
Turkey currently receives 60 percent of its gas needs from Gazprom. An increase in delivery from Azerbaijan is linked to further development of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea. The field currently produces about 25 million cubic meters a day, a figure that is expected to increase to 30 million cubic meters when a fifth well begins production.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Guler on Monday attended a conference in Baku on oil and natural gas potentials at a time when Turkey plans to request an increase in Azerbaijani gas exports for the winter months.
Focusing on the conference, titled “Oil and Gas Potential in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan” and held in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on Tuesday, the Turkmen press reported that participating countries had defined a new strategy of cooperation in the energy field.
