Iran begins pumping gas to Turkey: official

Reuters: Iran resumed the flow of its export natural gas supplies to Turkey from around midnight Friday, and will pump 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, a senior energy official told Reuters on Saturday. ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Iran resumed the flow of its export natural gas supplies to Turkey from around midnight Friday, and will pump 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, a senior energy official told Reuters on Saturday.

Iran had stopped pumping gas to Turkey due to harsh weather conditions, the Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said on Friday.

A previous stoppage lasted three weeks before Iran finally resumed its gas exports to Turkey on January 27.

Iranian officials blamed that disruption on increased domestic demand sparked by the cold weather and a cut off of gas supplies from Turkmenistan.

Russia and Iran account respectively for about 70 percent and 20 percent of Turkey’s natural gas needs. Russia raised its supplies last month to meet Turkey’s shortfall.

Greece was hit in a domino effect last month during the shortfall.

Turkey’s current gas demand is currently at 125 million cubic meters.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Editing by Valerie Lee)