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Iran-Turkey Gas Pipeline Repairs Underway

Iran-Turkey Gas Pipeline Repairs Underway
Iran-Turkey Gas Pipeline Repairs Underway

Turkey's natural gas imports from Iran were halted late Monday following a bomb attack on the pipeline 15 km (nine miles) inside Turkey near the border with Iran.

Repairs to the pipeline are expected to take around three days to complete.

Turkey's Energy Ministry said in a statement the bomb, which it blamed on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), caused a fire that was later put out, IRNA reported.

Yadollah Bybverdi, an Iranian gas official, said based on information from the Turkish side, the problem will be solved within the next three days. Bybverdi added that gas flows would resume once Turkey's Botas, the country's gas importing company, was ready to receive gas.

A Turkish Energy Ministry spokesman said Turkey would not suffer any gas shortages as flows from its other gas suppliers were sufficient to meet demand.

Turkish fighter jets have recently carried out raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq and the police have rounded up hundreds of alleged supporters of the group in Turkish cities.

The Kurdish news agency Firat News, often used by the PKK for issuing statements, carried news of the attack on the gas line but did not claim responsibility.

Turkey imports 9.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Iran, which makes Iran Turkey's second largest gas supplier.

According to data released by Turkish energy regulator EPDK in 2014, Turkey imported 8.932 bcm from Iran, 18.1% of the total of 49.3 bcm imported.

The most recent EPDK data indicate that in May, Turkey imported 473 mcm from Iran, or 14.2% of its imports for the month.

 

Financialtribune.com