Natural gas flow test starts from Iran to Turkey: Botaş

ANKARA

Natural gas supply testing from Iran to Turkey has started in limited quantities, which will alleviate natural gas cuts to the country’s industrial sector from Jan. 31, Turkey’s national pipeline operator Botaş has said.

Iran had confirmed it would not send natural gas to Turkey starting from Jan. 20 for 10 days due to technical problems at the Gürbulak gas entry point on the Turkey-Iran border.

In response and to ensure an equitable supply-demand balance, Botaş implemented a 40 percent reduction in gas power to its industrial consumers.

The state operator further confirmed that by Jan. 31, it would only cut gas supplies by 20 percent to industrial users.

Meanwhile, power cuts to the industrial zones ended on Jan. 29, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry announced.
“We thank industrialists for their indulgence and cooperation in this period,” said the ministry.

Turkey needs to meet growing gas demand due to record-level consumption during the extreme cold weather conditions. The country’s natural gas consumption hit a daily record high of 290 million cubic meters on Jan. 20.

Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) estimated that the country’s natural gas consumption will reach 60.04 bcm this year, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette on Jan. 28.

Currently, daily gas flow to Turkey totals around 270 mcm, out of which the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines transmit 90 mcm from Russia.

The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) carries 17.3 mcm of Azerbaijani gas on a daily basis, while a spot market agreement with Azerbaijan covers 7 mcm.

The country’s underground gas storage facilities provide around 45 mcm.

The ministry secures the remaining capacity through its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and floating LNG facilities.

The Azerbaijani state oil company, SOCAR, has agreed to import additional amounts of natural gas to Turkey amid a cut in the flow from Iran, which provides nearly 10 percent of Turkey’s daily natural gas needs.

Turkey generates nearly a third of its electricity through gas-powered stations.