The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, stated that discussions are underway to send gas from Turkmenistan to Iraq via Iran.
Fadel stated that if all sides agree, Iraq may get Turkmen gas as early as this summer.
In November 2023, Turkmen and Iraqi authorities agreed a protocol defining the deal’s principal commercial conditions.
The agreement will allow Turkmen gas to be transported to Iraq via Iran over a five-year period.
Iraq apparently completed all of the necessary conditions to begin importing gas from Turkmenistan in January 2024. The key reason for the delivery’s expected delay is the need to execute a detailed agreement with Iran, the nation of transit.
Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in October that the nation will supply 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Iraq under a swap agreement with Iran.
The gas-rich central Asian country has a pipeline connecting to Iran, which borders Iraq.
Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry did not disclose information regarding prospective swaps, but did note that Iraq was interested in a five-year arrangement.
Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkmenistan in October to import the gas required to operate its power plants, according to the Ministry of Electricity, which stated that the action necessitates more talks over the system of gas transportation through Iran.
Iraq’s power plants rely on gas imports from Iran, which meet one-third of the country’s energy requirements.
Iraq’s Electricity Minister previously stated that the country will get gas from Turkmenistan via an Iranian pipeline network connecting to Iraq, eventually reaching Iraqi power facilities.
