The world’s largest gas producer and exporter has put in a request for partnership in Iran’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production projects.
In time with the countdown for inviting tenders for construction and implementation of Iran LNG plant, Russia’s Gazprom Company has called for taking part in Iranian LNG programs.
Meanwhile, building of the country’s only LNG production plant has reached a hiatus though being more than halfway through.
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) seeks to carry out technical and economic evaluations in order to make an international tender for choosing a foreign investor who will complete and operationalize the project.
Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak has recently told Vedomosti daily that Gazprom Company is willing to join Iran’s gas projects; “the giant Russian firm would spare no effort to have more active participation in natural gas marketing,” he underlined.
Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee of Russian energy company Gazprom Alexander Medvedev had also announced that the firm would not rule out the possibility of participation in Iranian gas projects.
Alireza Kameli, Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Exports Company (NIGEC), said “the natural gas liquefaction plant of Iran LNG will be funded by a foreign investor and will be completed by a contractor while a third company will be in charge of recovering LNG shipments.”
The official pointed to eagerness of Asian and European companies to undertake and implement the project asserting “so far, the engineering phase of Iran LNG project have been accomplished and cost estimates are being carried out in partnership with several foreign parties.”
Kameli, while estimating that technical assessments of Iran LNG will coclude within three months, emphasized “later, the company with the most suitable offer will be appointed to perform the development project.”
The Iran LNG Plant is located on the west coast of Iran, at Tombak, approx. 50 km from Assaluyeh and 15 km southeast of Kangan. The project includes two LNG trains each with capacity of 5.4 million tons of LNG per annum.