Iran moving slowly into gas export market

UPI: Iran sees developments at its massive South Pars gas field as a sanctions buster as it moves to become a regional gas exporter, officials say.

United Press International

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, June 2 (UPI) — Iran sees developments at its massive South Pars gas field as a sanctions buster as it moves to become a regional gas exporter, officials say.

Iran and Pakistan signed bilateral deals on the $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline from South Pars in May on the sidelines of a trilateral summit that included Afghan leaders.

Pakistan would receive 800 million cubic feet per day from Iran under the terms of a 25-year agreement for the project. Pakistan, struggling to meet growing energy demands, says it will use most of the gas to generate electric power.

Seyed Mehdi Hosseini, a top adviser with the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Co., said Tehran could move "maybe within a month" to award contracts for the construction of the IPI line, Emirati newspaper The National reports.

Iran also said it began construction on the 2,100-mile Persian Pipeline from South Pars through Turkey to European markets.

Iranian, Syrian and Turkish officials last week signed a trilateral package of deals that included the development of upstream activities, drilling and exploration, as well as the construction of the Persian Pipeline.

Iran hopes its regional developments will position it as one of the suppliers for the heralded Nabucco pipeline, which Europe sees as an alternative to Russian gas resources.