Iran-Armenia Natural Gas Pipeline
Encyclopedia
The Iran–Armenia gas pipeline is a 140 kilometres (87 mi) long pipeline from Iran
to Armenia
. The 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) long Iranian section runs from Tabriz
to the Iran–Armenia border. The Armenian section runs from the Meghri
region to Sardarian, and another 197 kilometres (122.4 mi) of pipeline is planned to reach the center of the country, where it will link up with the existing distribution network.
, which purchased a majority share in the Armenian section of the pipeline through its subsidiary, Armrosgazprom
. If the pipeline had been built at the initial diameter, it would have allowed Iran to export to markets in Europe, therefore competing with Russia's own natural gas industry. Analysts argue that the pipeline was in part intended to extend Iran's influence in Caucasus, however was subdued to Russian control before the construction ended.
On 11 November 2009, Armenian officials reported an explosion of some segment of the pipeline within the Armenian borders. Once the damage is repaired, Iran will resume flow of gas to Armenia.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. The 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) long Iranian section runs from Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
to the Iran–Armenia border. The Armenian section runs from the Meghri
Meghri
Meghri is a city in southern Armenia, located in the Syunik province, near the border with Iran. The city's economy is based on the food industry, and contains a bread-baking factory, canneries and a winery. Meghri has a significantly milder climate than the rest of the cities in Armenia, and...
region to Sardarian, and another 197 kilometres (122.4 mi) of pipeline is planned to reach the center of the country, where it will link up with the existing distribution network.
History
The plans to build the pipeline was initially announced on 15 April 2002 by Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian. It started operations on 20 December 2006, and was officially inaugurated by the Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Robert Kocharyan of Armenia on 19 March 2007. There are discussions to build a second pipeline from Iran to Armenia.Technical features
The pipeline diameter is 700 millimetres (27.6 in) and it cost about US$220 million. The initial capacity of pipeline is 1.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year, which will be increased up to 2.3 bcm by 2019. The contract was signed for 20 years. For each cubic meter of the Iranian gas, Armenia is supposed to return 3 kwh of electric energy to Iran.Political controversy
Many suspect that the pipeline's diameter was reduced from 1420 to 700 mm (55.9 to 27.6 in) under pressure from GazpromGazprom
Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
, which purchased a majority share in the Armenian section of the pipeline through its subsidiary, Armrosgazprom
Armrosgazprom
ArmRosGazprom was founded in 1997 as a joint Russian-Armenian natural gas pipeline project. The company organizes the gas supply for Armenia's domestic gas market. Director General is currently Karen Karapetian. The company is registered in Armenia as a ЗAО ArmRosGazprom (ARG) was founded in 1997...
. If the pipeline had been built at the initial diameter, it would have allowed Iran to export to markets in Europe, therefore competing with Russia's own natural gas industry. Analysts argue that the pipeline was in part intended to extend Iran's influence in Caucasus, however was subdued to Russian control before the construction ended.
On 11 November 2009, Armenian officials reported an explosion of some segment of the pipeline within the Armenian borders. Once the damage is repaired, Iran will resume flow of gas to Armenia.
External links
- Iran–Armenia Natural Gas Pipeline, by Fikret Ertan, The Journal of Turkish Weekly. 30 January 2006
- Iran–Armenia gas pipeline project underway, by Alexander Gas & Oil Connections. 11 September 2006
- Second Iran–Armenia gas pipeline on the horizon, by Alexander Gas & Oil Connections. 14 September 2006
- Iran Oil Gas Directory, oilgas.ir