Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan sign gas swap deal

[Dariush the Great]

DUBAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have signed a gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

Under the swap deal, Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan and deliver an equivalent amount to Azerbaijan at the Astara border, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji told state TV.


"Turkmenistan will sell 5-6 million cubic metres of gas per day to Azerbaijan under the trilateral agreement signed ...in Turkmenistan," IRNA said.

Owji also said Iran was moving to resolve a lingering gas debt dispute with Central Asia's Turkmenistan, which said in late 2017 that it was owed $1.8 billion in payments for gas delivered to Tehran.


"We will soon pay the first instalment to clear the gas debt that we owe to the Turkmen side, after talks that were held earlier," Owji said, without giving the amount of the debt.

Iran has major natural gas fields in the south, but has imported gas from Turkmenistan since 1997 for distribution in its northern provinces, especially during the winter.

Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan sign gas swap deal

Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have signed a gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Muhammad Saftain Anjum]

Iran has major natural gas fields in the south, but has imported gas from Turkmenistan

Why? Any solid reason?

 

[SalarHaqq]

Why? Any solid reason?

Normal practice by all standards. Saves you transportations costs for consumer markets close to border areas - and Iran has its second largest city (Holy Mashhad with some 3,5 million inhabitants) as well as several smaller ones with a population above 50.000 located less than 80 kilometers from the border with Turkmenistan. As said, this is something major exporter states with a vast geographic surface area normally do. Really nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Hack-Hook]

Normal practice by all standards. Saves you transportations costs for consumer markets close to border areas - and Iran has its second largest city (Holy Mashhad with some 3,5 million inhabitants) as well as several smaller ones with a population above 50.000 located less than 80 kilometers from the border with Turkmenistan. As said, this is something major exporter states with a vast geographic surface area normally do. Really nothing out of the ordinary.

technically Iran second largest city probably is Karaj but well , to me Karaj and Tehran and bunch of smaller cities there are just a big Mega city , the problem with Karaj and census is that they can't decide were they put its population , with Tehran or with Karaj and cities like Tehran and Karaj have another problem their satellites , do they add its population to the city or not and count them separately.
well these are all technicality and don't change the matter discussed here

 

[aryobarzan]

The way I understand this deal is that Iran receives Transit fees for the " swap" (think of swap as a virtual transit) in the form of Turkman Gas for Iran's northern cities...Win win situation for all involved...not a bad deal it also binds the three countries via trade which is good for political reasons.

 

[SalarHaqq]

technically Iran second largest city probably is Karaj

It's not Karaj. Look up the statistics from the latest population survey conducted in 2016, or even more recent estimates. Karaj with 1.59 million residents (2016) comes in 4th position after Tehran, Mashhad, Esfahan.

Here the numbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cities_of_Iran#Cities_over_100,000_population

Now even if we're considering urban areas - ie cities proper (in their defined administrative limits) plus their suburbs, then still Karaj will not come second. In this respect, Esfahan is second, with nearly 4 million inhabitants in the general agglomeration. Interestingly enough, Esfahan is the only major Iranian city where the suburban population equals or even exceeds the city proper, despite the fact that during the past 30 years, the proportional growth of suburbs relative to cities proper has been a general phenomenon in Iranian urban development. But the pattern followed by Esfahan is still unique in this regard.

Karaj has a lot of suburbs too, but even if we count places like Hashtgerd and Shahryar into Karaj's suburban area (whereas Shahryar should really be considered a Tehran not a Karaj suburb, given its greater social-economic interaction with the capital despite the superior distance), the population would still not be on par with greater Esfahan.

but well , to me Karaj and Tehran and bunch of smaller cities there are just a big Mega city , the problem with Karaj and census is that they can't decide were they put its population , with Tehran or with Karaj and cities like Tehran and Karaj have another problem their satellites , do they add its population to the city or not and count them separately.

well these are all technicality and don't change the matter discussed here

The method for censuses of this kind is unambiguous: people who have their residence within the boundaries of cities proper - and these boundaries are precisely defined, make up the population of that city. Another way of describing it would be 'nighttime populations'. When they say Tehran now has around 9 million people, that number doesn't include any resident of Karaj, but is restricted to the 22 districts of Tehran, period. It doesn't even include completely juxtaposed suburbs such as Qods (next to Vardavard), Chahar Dangeh (first locality outside city borders on the Eslamshahr highway) etc.

We may add something like between half a million to one million to Karaj's 1.59 (2016) to reflect the population of the entire Karaj urban area (not just limited to municipal boundaries).

Yes, the combination of Tehran and Karaj qualifies as a conurbation, while the entire area between Lavasan if not Fasham to the north, Parand / Sarzamine Iranian to the southwest, Emamzadeh Abdollah south of Varamin and Eyvanekey if not Garmsar in the southeast, as well as Damavand in the east and Hashtgerd / Nazarabad if not Abyek in the west, qualify as one large urban area or agglomeration of the megacity level, with some 15 million inhabitants. And not because municipalities within this zone are geographically close or even bordering each other in some cases, but because there is intensive enough social and economic interaction between them, along with considerable commuter movements of residents.

 

[dBSPL]

With this gas swap agreement, Turkmenistan will export some of its gas to Europe indirectly. Iran will give the same amount of gas to Azerbaijan, and this gas will be pumped to Europe via TANAP. Why indirect? Bcs for years, Russia has not allowed the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline to become operational and an alternative gas flow to Europe.

TANAP

Previously planned Nabucco line

 

[aryobarzan]

With this gas swap agreement, Turkmenistan will export some of its gas to Europe indirectly. Iran will give the same amount of gas to Azerbaijan, and this gas will be pumped to Europe via TANAP. Why indirect? Bcs for years, Russia has not allowed the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline to become operational and an alternative gas flow to Europe.

TANAP

Previously planned Nabucco line

It is a good deal for all involved..iran will collect fees for the swap in form of gas from Turkmen for Northern iranian cities..I do not know the transit fees for the Georgia and Turkey but I am sure they be happy to collect either in $$$ or gas itself..

 

[dBSPL]

It is a good deal for all involved..iran will collect fees for the swap in form of gas from Turkmen for Northern iranian cities..I do not know the transit fees for the Georgia and Turkey but I am sure they be happy to collect either in $$$ or gas itself..

Putting aside the questionable and irrational schemes of viability, such as the ultra-deep-sea pipeline in the Eastern Mediterranean, TANAP and, if we succeed, ITE are the only alternatives that can limit Europe's dependence on Russia for energy supply.

Turkmenistan and Iran are currently one of the world's most important gas resources. Azerbaijan and Iraq, on the other hand, are able to give much more than their consumption to the system on an economic scale. In addition, the latest developments in Turkey show that it could meet all of its domestic consumption with its own production in a 10-15 year projection. In short, pumping the gas collected from a wide geography reaching from the Gulf to the Caspian and from there to the Black Sea up to Europe with a common network may be a much more profitable alternative than LNG.

These projects can also be positive factors in the development of our region, and more importantly, in strengthening the cooperation between countries. To give a very simple example, Turkey meets ~1/3 Greek annual natural gas demand via Turkey-Greece Natural Gas Interconnector since 2007. Turkey has been a reliable and stable energy reexporter of natural gas to Greece.

 

[Hack-Hook]

With this gas swap agreement, Turkmenistan will export some of its gas to Europe indirectly. Iran will give the same amount of gas to Azerbaijan, and this gas will be pumped to Europe via TANAP. Why indirect? Bcs for years, Russia has not allowed the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline to become operational and an alternative gas flow to Europe.

TANAP

Previously planned Nabucco line

these plan and routes have an small shortcoming.
only if they were designed to connect Armena and Azerbaijan economy together , then at last we could have some peace there.

 

[dBSPL]

these plan and routes have an small shortcoming.
only if they were designed to connect Armena and Azerbaijan economy together , then at last we could have some peace there.

It was not Azerbaijan that broke the peace. When Armenia takes the necessary steps, it will really start to develop, unlike its diaspora, which constantly puts it in danger for nothing.

 

[Hack-Hook]

It was not Azerbaijan that broke the peace. When Armenia takes the necessary steps, it will really start to develop, unlike its diaspora, which constantly puts it in danger for nothing.

both of them were making jab at each other for years.
this round Azerbaijan were more ready but who knew about the next and it continues

 

[Titanium100]

both of them were making jab at each other for years.
this round Azerbaijan were more ready but who knew about the next and it continues

Armenia has no appetite for more especially knowing Azerbaijan has a defensive treaty with Turkey.. Unless it gets Russia involved but I hardly doubt Russia will wanna partake in that it is just to irrelevant to start such magnitude of war for over Nagorno Karabakh hence it could technically become Armenia's eventual end as an state and that is if they were to miscalculate they are completely surrounded stragetically by 11m Azeris that are armed to the teeth and battle hardened plus 90m Turks there is really no future prospect in waging war or looking for another conflict as it would become a major miscalculation on their part plus Armenians tend to migrate away from Armenia so you have like what 3m and decreasing every year. Armenia has no appetite atleast for the next century or so

 

[Hack-Hook]

Armenia has no appetite for more especially knowing Azerbaijan has a defensive treaty with Turkey.. Unless it gets Russia involved but I hardly doubt Russia will wanna partake in that it is just to irrelevant to start such magnitude of war for over Nagorno Karabakh hence it could technically become Armenia's eventual end as an state and that is if they were to miscalculate they are completely surrounded stragetically by 11m Azeris that are armed to the teeth and battle hardened plus 90m Turks there is really no future prospect in waging war or looking for another conflict as it would become a major miscalculation on their part plus Armenians tend to migrate away from Armenia so you have like what 3m and decreasing every year. Armenia has no appetite atleast for the next century or so

After previous war Azerbaijan had no appetite for it . If Armenia feel confident that it can beat Azerbaijan then you can bet we wil see another round.