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Turkey’s BOTAŞ in talks with Iran’s NIGC for gas supply
Managing Director and Chairperson of the Board of Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) Abdulvahit Fidan paid a visit to Tehran with an accompanying delegation on September 25, the company said in a written statement, according to Reuters.
“In this context, talks were held with Iran’s national natural gas company NIGC. In the meeting with NIGC representatives chaired by Iranian Deputy Minister of Petroleum and NIGC CEO Saeid Tavakoli, issues of cooperation between the two companies, particularly the long-term supply of natural gas from Iran to Turkey and the transportation of Turkmen gas to Turkey via Iran, were discussed,” it added.
The two companies also discussed the transportation of Turkmenistan gas to Turkey via Iran, BOTAŞ also said, in its first public statement on talks for a potential extension of the deal with Iran.
Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar previously said that his country can buy up to 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year from Turkmenistan via Iran’s natural gas network.
“Fidan and Tavakoli affirmed their agreement to continue the cooperation between BOTAŞ and NIGC in the coming period within the framework of the deep-rooted relations between the two countries,” the statement further said.
Turkey consumes over 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year. It currently relies on a mix of pipeline gas from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, along with liquified natural gas (LNG) imports from various suppliers.
Long-term contracts for the supply of Iranian gas to Turkey, which is some 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, expire in 2026.
BOTAŞ signed a 10-year supply agreement with France’s TotalEnergies last week, in addition to LNG deals with Oman, ExxonMobil and Shell, inked earlier this year.
Boosting its supply and diversifying resources, Turkey looks to position itself as a major regional re-exporter, bolstering its hub aspirations and serving as a potential supplier to European markets in need of gas.