Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Anakhanum Hidayatova – Trend:
The project to build a gas pipeline between Turkey and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, which is designed to have a pumping capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, is an attempt of Ankara to find alternative to Russian energy supplies, Amatzia Baram, professor at the Middle East History Department of the Haifa University, told Trend Jan. 8.
“Laying a gas pipeline through the territory of KRG can be a profitable investment, as investment projects in any other part of Iraq would make them ineffective,” he said.
A tender will be held Feb. 9, 2016 in Ankara for constructing a new gas pipeline between Turkey and the KRG. Both local and foreign companies are allowed to participate in the tender. The tender’s winner will build the new gas pipeline in 720 days.
The pipeline’s length will be 181.5 kilometers.
Turkey was the second largest importer of Russian gas after Germany in 2014. Ankara purchased 27.3 billion cubic meters of gas from Russian company Gazprom.
Turkey has been importing 25 to 27 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia in the past four years, which accounts for 55 to 58 percent of the country’s total gas consumption.
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