Minister Skourletis: Greece mulling LNG cooperation with Iran

Greece has entered preliminary negotiations with Iran over potential supply of liquefied natural gas to cover domestic demand, country’s energy minister Panos Skourletis said. 

Skourletis told Bloomberg that a January deal between Hellenic Petroleum and National Iranian Oil Company for the supply of 60,000 barrels of crude per day opens doors for cooperation in the gas sector.

He lauded the Revithoussa LNG terminal near Athens as a possible entry point for Iranian liquefied natural gas  as well as a facility planned at Alexandroupolis in the north of the country.

Both facilities could also be springboards for further delivery of Iranian chilled gas to other European countries as Iran is keen on exporting to Europe, Skourletis said.

An import deal with Iran could help Greece diversify its sources and bring it closer to the goal of becoming a regional energy hub.

Iran’s gas pipeline talks with Oman

Iran’s minister of petroleum, Bijan Zangeneh on Wednesday revealed ongoing discussions with Oman regarding a formation of a joint venture and a gas pipeline that would export Iranian gas to Oman, as revealed in a National Iranian Gas Company’s (NIGC) statement.

Oman expressed interest in transferring Iranian gas to the international markets through its liquefaction facilities, as Iran has not yet completed the development of its gas liquefaction and export plants.

Skourletis further added that Iranian companies are interested in taking part in the floating LNG storage and regasification project at Alexandroupolis. However, the project depends on the market test for the Gas Interconnector linking Bulgaria and Greece which is set to be completed this month. In the case of viability, it would clear the way for the Alexandroupolis facility according to Skourletis.

He added that once the expansion of the Revithoussa LNG terminal is completed in 2017 the facility could provide gas to other European states.

LNG World News Staff