Cablegate: Turkmenistan's Gas Deliveries to Iran

VZCZCXRO7216
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1557 3381023
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031023Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1943
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4556
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2364
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2229
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2804
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3116

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001557

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET ECON EINDIR IR TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S GAS DELIVERIES TO IRAN

According to Turkmen sources, Turkmenistan's gas exports to
Iran are shipped via the Korpeje-Kurt-Kui pipeline that runs
parallel to the Caspian coast south from the Korpeje gas
field. The pipeline, which has a capacity of 14 bcm per
year, was first put into operation in 1997. Since that time,
the amount of gas delivered annually has varied greatly.
Despite the planned delivery of eight bcm in 2008, it appears
that only five bcm of Turkmen gas will actually be sent to
Iran, due to the cutoff of deliveries that occurred in
January-March 2008. Approximately two million ethnic Turkmen
live in Northern Iran.
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