After an explosion and fire on the pipeline just inside the border of Turkey, natural gas exports from Iran to Turkey were halted early Tuesday.
The official at Turkey's energy ministry said that all necessary efforts were underway to manage the situation. However, when the line would re-open was not clear. The explosion happened nearby the Gurbulak border gate with Iran. The cause of the pipeline explosion had not yet been identified.
Under a contract which runs to July 2026, up to 9.6 Bcm/year of Iranian gas imported by Turkey's Botas via the pipeline. From Iran, 7.7 Bcm of gas imported by Turkey in 2019. The amount is around 17 percent of Turkey’s total gas imports.
Previously, the pipeline has been subject to the Kurdish militants’ occasional sabotage attacks. Around 10 Bcm of Iranian gas carried annually by the pipeline to Turkey.
