Gazprom says further raises gas supplies to Turkey
Russia's Gazprom said on Monday it had further raised gas supplies to Turkey to help the country avoid an energy crisis that has had a knock-on effect on several countries in the region.
The crisis erupted late last year, when Turkmenistan suspended gas supplies to Iran, which in turn cut deliveries to Turkey. Turkey has itself halted the flow of Azeri gas to Greece.
Gazprom, Russia's gas export monopoly, said it had received a request from Turkey for more supplies. It had therefore increased deliveries to 40 million cubic metres a day via the Blue Stream pipeline from the previous 38 mcm per day and from the regular 30 mcm per day prior to Dec. 25. "As a result some 90 mcm of gas was supplied to Turkey in addition to the contracted volumes from Dec. 25 to Jan. 13," Gazprom said in a statement.
The Blue Stream pipeline goes from Russia to Turkey under the Black Sea. Gazprom also supplies Turkey via Bulgarian territory. It did not say how much gas was flowing via this route.
Turkmenistan blamed technical problems for the suspension of supplies to Iran but Iranian officials say Ashgabat is also seeking a higher price for the natural gas it ships to Iran.
Gazprom, the biggest buyer of Turkmen gas, agreed last year to raise payment for the deliveries by 30 percent in the first half of 2008 to $130 per 1,000 cubic metres and to $150 in the second half of 2008.
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