A new gas project inked between Russia and Iran may have ramifications for the wider region, including India, an expert has told Sputnik.
"India is a large market for natural gas, which keeps growing to boot,” Igor Yushkov from Russia's National Energy Security Fund remarked, arguing that there is plenty of room for both Russian and Iranian gas on the Indian market.
He mentions the possibility of Iran exporting Russian gas to Europe via Turkiye, but points out that it may be a risky move considering Europe’s declared intent to cease using fossil fuels by 2050, so the prospects of Asia and India being the final recipients of the Russian gas exported through Iran seem more likely.
The successful implementation of this Russian-Iranian project, however, will require dealing with a number of issues such as, for example, the problem with building an undersea pipeline across the Caspian Sea to ship natural gas directly from Russia to Iran.
Building such a pipeline would require the consent of all the Caspian littoral states, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan (aside from Russia and Iran).
Stanislav Mitrakhovich, a leading expert from the National Energy Security Fund, also suggests that Iran has plenty of natural gas of its own and that the new pipeline project is likely aimed at exporting Russian gas to India.
“It is possible to build a pipeline from Iran to India,” he argued, adding that it may be beneficial for Russia to acquire India as an alternative to China in terms of purchasing Russian natural gas.
Mitrakhovich noted, however, that building such a pipeline would require either working out an agreement with Pakistan – if the pipeline from Iran to India were to be built through that country – or constructing a direct underwater pipeline from the Iranian to Indian coast.
What is Known About the Gas Deal?
Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji announced that Moscow and Tehran have reached a strategic agreement on Russian gas exports to Iran on Monday.
"With this agreement, Iran's share of trade will rise, causing changes in international balances. In other words, the agreement will act as a revolution in the energy and industry scene of the region," the minister said, as quoted by Al Mayadeen.
While this venture is yet to move beyond the memorandum of understanding stage, some details of the agreement signed between the Russian energy giant Gazprom and the Iranian National Gas Company have become available to the press.
Under the auspices of this deal, Iran may start receiving vast quantities of Russian natural gas, possibly up to 300 million cubic meters per day or nearly 110 billion cubic meters per year, which is approximately 45% of Iran’s current gas consumption and roughly equals the maximum output of the now-defunct Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines.
The project is also going to involve the construction of a natural gas pipeline across Iran, “from north to south,” with the annual revenue of this venture being estimated at about $10-12 billion, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported, citing Owji.
The project will purportedly involve building an underwater pipeline across the Caspian Sea, from Russia to Iran, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The construction, if launched, might require coordination with the border states of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.