&host=www.rt.com&uri=/news/gas-pipeline-iran-syria/&via=1.1 8.254.9.139:80 (Footprint 4.8/FPMCP)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
$10 billion Mid-East gas pipeline aims at EU markets
Published: 26 July, 2011, 12:34
A picture shows the Iranian South Pars quarter one (SPQ1) gas platform in the Gulf near Qatar's territorial waters (AFP Photo / Atta Kenare)
TAGS: Middle East, Politics, Iran, Iraq, Big deal
The oil ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria have agreed on the construction of a 5,000-km pipeline, which is designed to transport Iranian natural gas westwards. The project will compete against the European Nabucco project.
The pipeline is to transport gas extracted at Iran’s South Pars gas field through territories of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, and further across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The project, with an estimated cost of $10 billion, will take three to five years to complete, officials say.
The pipeline will have the maximum discharge of 110 million cubic meters of gas daily. Iraq says it will be buying between 10 and 15 million cubic meters of that amount until at least 2020. Syria wants 15 to 20 million cubic meters and Lebanon is to claim five to seven million cubic meters. The rest is to be sold to European consumers, the Middle-Eastern partners hope.
The planned pipeline has a secured supply of gas, with the South Pars field holding some 16 trillion cubic meters of the fuel, head of Iran’s state gas company NIGS, Javad Owji, said after the Memorandum of Understanding was inked by the ministers on Monday. This is a necessary condition for such a pipeline project, which the Nabucco project does not meet, he pointed out.
Nabucco is the project supported by the EU, which is to transport natural gas from Central Asia to Europe via Turkey. Its major drawback is a lack of supply, since Russia has contracted most of gas, which will be extracted by countries in the region for decades to come. Iran was considered as a possible source of gas for Nabucco, but was ruled out after the US and EU imposed sanctions against Tehran over its controversial nuclear power program.
Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said his country is not barred from dealing with Tehran by those notions.
“Presently, Iraq is an independent country, and the sanctions by the US and other Western countries could have no effect on our relations with Iran,” the minister said on Monday as cited by Iran’s Press TV.
Iran has the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves after Russia, with some 28 trillion cubic meters or proved reserves, or 16 per cent of the world’s total.
26.07.2011, 12:10
2 comments
Fukushima crisis to be resolved in six monthsAfter visiting the Fukushima nuclear plant and meeting with Japan’s prime minister, the head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, has promised to provide all necessary expertise to complete the second phase of containing the crisis by early next year. Earthquake in Japan Fukushima nuclear disaster |
26.07.2011, 14:23
4 comments
Polish presidential crash report to confirm pilot error - mediaPolish investigators have concluded that pilot error was actually to blame for last year's Smolensk plane tragedy, local media report. The crash in Russia claimed the lives of President Lech Kaczynski and many of the country's political elite. |
It is huge project.
It looks liked everybody is going to be happy.
My concern or worried about the project is sombody might become crazy person wants to control all of the gas for his country needs.
If this happens, how to solve it as human nature the bigger guys want to have bigger shares from the project.
Russia has been positioning itself to take the pieces after the EU-US economic collapse and become a replacement superpower or the governor of the World Government by default. The US and EU imposed sanctions against Tehran over its peaceful nuclear power program ensures that Russia cannot use the EU supported Nabucco project for influences over the NATO. Russia has gone along with the baseless UNSC sanctions against Iran because the sanctions may make Iran desparate and flexible for entering into agreements that ensure Russian domination over EU. Theoretically, Russia can become a bridge between Iran group and EU. But, Russia is failing to act consistent with its aims in delivering to Iranians that have a very long memories. The same memories that are haunting the Americans after the Iranian revolution. The challenge for Russia is how to go along with the UNSC without continuing to burn its bridges with Iran. EU-US knows this and is making every effort to block the future of Russian domination by colouring Russia through its involvement against Iran.
Very interesting plan, Iran can supply its allies with gas, also they can sell to EU, which makes EU depend on them. It will strengthen diplomatic and commercial relationship with its neighbor, and of course they can be sure about the safety and security of the pipelines. since terrorists of any type never attack something that matter for Europeans.