Tehran, January 19, 10 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Iran’s northern neighbor, Azerbaijan, piloted a test-run gas supplies to Iran today before the pipeline becomes fully operational during the next few days.

 

The border town of Astra is the point of entry for the Azeri gas imports. According to the company in charge of receiving the gas, Astara gas compressor station, all test works were performed successfully starting from last week.

 

In a short-term contract signed between the National Iranian Gas Export Co. (NIGEC) with the Azeri state-run gas company, on Wednesday, Iran is to import 1.2 million cubic meters of gas per day for three month ending March 2010. A total of 100 million cubic meters of natural gas is going to be supplied by Azerbaijan until the end of the contract.

 

‘During the three-month period of the contract, the two sides will discuss another long-term agreement to import natural gas from Azerbaijan, up to 2 billion cubic meters per year,’ NIGEC managing director Seyed Reza Kassaeizadeh said.

Iran and Azerbaijan are linked through a 1474.7 kilometres long Kazi-Magomed-Astara gas pipeline, but construction of additional pipeline may become necessary if a longer-term contract is to be enacted with the Azeri side.

 

Last month, Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohamad baqer Bahrami, opined that a new pipeline should be needed if Baku is to export 5 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran each year.